Right And Wrong Way
by BellaDameNoir
Summary: AU: City Magazine has a new feature article "Right And Wrong Way - Dating in the City"; it's a he said/she said commentary. The two writers picked for the project are Fitz and Olivia. See how they navigate their professional relationship while trying to prevent personal feelings from spilling over and threatening their success.
1. Dating Rule: No Such Thing as

**Dating Rule: No Such Thing as Love at 1****st**** Sight**

"You look beautiful sis...like a black Barbie doll," Alexis laughed as she admired her older sister through the full length mirror. She wasn't jealous of Olivia but she wished she had her looks. Olivia's features were petite and delicate just like their mother's. Alexis favored their father and while she was attractive too, she was simply not as beautiful as Olivia.

Olivia laughed too. "Thanks Lexi…are you sitting on my purse?" Olivia scrutinized herself in the mirror, making sure her makeup was perfect, no hair was out of place and her dress fit just right. She turned around in the mirror and viewed her backside, secretly admiring how the dress hugged her ass just right. She had to look phenomenal tonight. She wanted to walk into that party, head held high with all the confidence she could muster. She had a room full of people to impress.

"It's right here," Alexis said as she held out the black clutch purse for Olivia to take. "What time is your car coming?"

"It'll be here in 10 minutes. The driver is picking up Abby first," Olivia said as she went to her jewelry box to select the earrings and cocktail ring she wanted to wear.

"Will HE be there tonight?" Alexis ventured to ask. It was a sensitive topic that Olivia had been unwilling to talk openly about.

Olivia sighed. "Yes of course he will be there. I'll be meeting him for the first time. I'm trying not to be nervous." She had seen pictures of him and read his bio but meeting in person, face-to-face was something different.

"There's no need to be nervous. The party is being given in **your** honor. He should be nervous meeting you," Alexis said.

"It's not just in my honor; there is a whole team of people being acknowledged," Olivia explained.

"Yes but only one of them is my sister," Alexis said as she got up from the bed and gave her sister a brief hug of assurance. "I'll go downstairs and wait for the driver to show up."

Alexis knew Olivia needed some time alone to psyche herself up for the evening.

"Thanks Lexi."

When she was alone, Olivia again looked at herself in the mirror. She was excited for the party and eager to meet all the new people she would be working with but she couldn't seem to control the anxiety she felt about meeting Him. It mattered whether he liked her or not. She had admired his work for City Magazine but she had no idea whether he read her work. _I wonder what he thinks of me?,_ she thought. She was the youngest writer on the team at Everyday Woman Magazine but in the past two years she worked hard to build up a great reputation in the industry. She had received awards and accolades from her peers and even the readers continued to praise her work. It was a shame, though that the magazine itself couldn't maintain its readership and sales. The closure of the EW magazine was done with dignity. It was being publicized as a merger with its sister-magazine, but in actuality, City Magazine had simply agreed to extend contracts to several EW top-level employees, including herself.

She didn't initially agree to come over to City Magazine because, although they told her repeatedly how valuable she would be to them, they had ideas for her that she wasn't entirely comfortable with. She would be working with one of their established writers on a monthly feature article highlighting the do's and don'ts of dating – from a male and female perspective. She was fine with the content, she had already been giving dating advice to young women, fresh out of college in her own article but the problem was that she would now be the co-author of the new article _"Right And Wrong Way – _Dating in the City_"_ (or R.A.W.W. as it was nicknamed). Co-Author…which meant, she would only have partial control of the final product and only part of the decision making power. She didn't know if she could handle that especially with someone who had the upper hand since he already worked for the magazine. She would be the new kid on the block. What if he didn't like her style? What if they fought constantly? What if their working dynamics were tense and stressful? "Stop it Liv, you already agreed to the job, now just do it," she said to herself.

"Liv the car is here," Alexis called from downstairs.

"Okay coming," she called back. She took one final look at herself in the mirror, straightened her back and smiled, ready to take on the world.

"I see you brought out the Louboutin's….who are you trying to impress?" Abby teased admiring the 5 inch heels.

"No one Abby," Olivia responded briskly.

"I think you need a drink," Abby said in the car on the way to the venue. She could feel the tension coming from Olivia and it was starting to stress her out.

"I don't want to be drunk when I get there Abby," Olivia told her. She had known the red-haired, brazen woman for years. Abby was an incredibly loyal and trusted friend but she could get quite wild for Olivia's taste. Abby was like her guilty pleasure. She lived vicariously through her. Abby entertained her with her exploits, mostly sexually explicit.

"Suit yourself, I've been talking to this guy in the Marketing Department and I'm looking to bring him home with me tonight. So don't look for me afterward."

"Abby don't embarrass yourself tonight, we have to work with these people come Monday morning."

"I know but I've already been working over there for the past week and they know me. I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not…they like me," Abby bragged. Abby worked in the Legal Department as an Executive Assistant to in-house counsel.

"I'm sure they do," Olivia said sarcastically, not entirely believing her.

"So you want me to tell you about your partner?"

"I don't know, your opinion is bound to be tainted being that he's a man."

"He's not what you think Liv, he's a good guy. When people see him they think he's a player but he's not. He's nice, I like him and I think you will too. The only thing is, he's engaged; well sort-of."

"Why do you think I would care that he's engaged? And what does that mean 'sort-of engaged' either you are or you're not?"

"Well that's what I heard. He doesn't talk about being engaged but some of the girls know his quote, un-quote 'fiancée' and they are confident that he is. Anyway, I'm just letting you know, he's a stable guy. You tend to be a man-hater and I don't think you should go in thinking that he's like every other guy out there."

Olivia turned to Abby with a shocked expression. "I'm not a man-hater…I just don't think they are all worthy of my time. Any way that doesn't even matter because I'm not dating him, I'm working with him."

"It wouldn't hurt to have a little fun while you're working…..Anyway, you ready for your speech?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, it's just a 5 minute introduction, it should go by pretty fast, it'll be fine," Olivia said nonchalantly but inside she was hoping He would like her speech too.

Olivia was in her element. She worked the room, introducing herself to everyone, chatting briefly to get to know them and let them know her. For some reason, more than a few people asked about her private life but she skillfully dodged each question. She didn't care to discuss her private life with people. It had no relevance to whether she could do her job successfully.

"Welcome, Liv," Olivia turned to see her friend and mentor, Cyrus Beene.

"Hi Cyrus," she hugged him. Cyrus already worked for City Magazine and was one of the factors that influenced her decision to come and work there.

"Have you met our guy yet?"

"No, I haven't. I'll meet him soon enough," Olivia said although she tried not to sound irritated. She had been asked that same question about 15 times already.

Cyrus looked at her. "What's going on Liv?"

"Nothing I'm fine….I'm fine, Cyrus really," she made a motion with her hand which emphasized her irritation because everyone kept on insisting that she needed to meet him. What happened to _**him**_ meeting her? Why did she need to run around trying to find him? She was Olivia Pope dammit, she never chased after men, no matter who they were.

"I think I'll go freshen up before I'm called on stage," she said before escaping to the ladies room. All of a sudden she felt claustrophobic. Did they all consider her as the step child? Like he was doing her a favor taking her on as a co-author. Was she being pitied? She wanted to scream. She never made it to the restroom. She found a secluded hallway and started pacing, almost stomping, back and forth.

"Do you always do that when you're angry?" he said from behind her.

She turned around to see him leaning against the wall watching her intently. She had no idea how long he had been there. "No, I don't….well yes, I guess I do…angry or just thinking…either way it helps." She was surprised; he was the last person she expected to be there – watching and waiting for her. And he looked phenomenal in his tux; like old Hollywood glamour. He had the complete look including the smile and the hands in the pockets which screamed sexual confidence. She was stammering over her words, taken aback by how much his pictures had not done him justice.

"Which one are you?"

"Which one what?"

"Are you angry or just thinking?"

She sighed heavily. "In truth, both."

"And how much of that anger is being directed to me?"

"Only a little," she offered, "I'm angrier at the situation."

"Well that's good, I would hate to know that you were more angry with me….So, can I say hello to you like a normal person then?"

She smiled at his charm. "Yes of course you can."

He walked up and hugged her. "It's good to meet you Olivia."

"It's good to meet you too Fitz." He stared at down at her with no inclination to move away. He had been watching her from the corner all evening and he was enamored with the way she moved, the way she talked – her entire style. She was amazingly beautiful. He had been around beautiful women before but she enchanted him. And this was the woman he would be working with day in and day out. He could already feel a strong connection with her that was anything but professional. He needed to get control of himself and his thoughts.

"So how did you find me in here?" Olivia asked.

"I've been watching you all evening," he said as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Watching like crazy stalker or watching like 'I can't wait to meet her'?" she partially joked.

"I'm not a stalker. Have you had many stalkers?" he asked as he looked her up and down for the 3rd time since they started talking.

Olivia shrugged and smiled at him. She was strangely excited by the way he was admiring her. She liked knowing that he obviously found her attractive.

"So tell me why you're angry with me?"

"It's a stupid ego thing. Just trying not to feel sorry for myself and I don't want to feel like you did me a favor by allowing me to tag along as a co-writer."

He smirked at her. And Olivia closed her eyes and chided herself for being too open and honest with him when they barely knew each other. _Damn his eyes_. He really was outrageously handsome. He was maybe 5 years older than her and she could tell that he was one of those men who would get more attractive as they aged.

"Don't do that….You're thinking that you shouldn't have told me that. It's not a mistake to be open and honest with each other. I won't use it against you," he took a deep breath and filled his nostrils with her scent, she was intoxicating. "I happen to think we would work very well together and I'm looking forward to being with you…..at work."

_Is he flirting with me_? Olivia thought. _He couldn't be, he's engaged, well sort-of._

"That's good to know."

They silently stared at each other in the secluded hallway. She broke the silence, "Well Fitz, I need to get ready for my speech so I will see you out there." She almost walked past him but he caught her arm and said, "By the way, you look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you," she said as she walked away. No one had ever made her blush like that.

Olivia glowed as she gave her speech before the audience. She was a natural speaker, completely at ease behind a podium with a microphone addressing a crowd. She was eloquent, articulate and educated. Fitz hung on her every word. She was breathtaking. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had affected him like this. All of his senses were attuned to every movement of her lips. And when she smiled, it was, it was…..

"You see our girl. I knew you would like her. You two are going to be great together, I know it," Cyrus whispered as he patted Fitz on the back.

Fitz merely raised an eyebrow.

When she finished everyone applauded. The Chief Editor, Sally Langston, walked up and gave Olivia a hug. She came to the microphone and said, "We welcome Olivia Pope and all of our friends from EM to the City Magazine family." The crowd applauded again.

Sally gave a few closing remarks and left the stage as the music started and people began dancing. Fitz found Olivia getting a drink at the bar.

"I would offer to buy you a drink but everything is being paid for so it would sound kind of stupid," Fitz said as he took the seat next to her.

"Yes, I guess it would," she said as she laughed. When her drink arrived, she turned to him and said, "So tell me about yourself….I hear you have never had a 'work-wife'." Olivia was joking but the look in his eyes made her second guess the comment. Maybe it was too soon to joke like that. He was staring at her lips; unconsciously she licked them.

"No I've never had a wife, work or otherwise. You will be my first," he said.

"Ok you've got to stop that. You are an incredible flirt. I was told you were not that type of guy. I mean you're gorgeous and I would automatically assume that you were 'that guy' but I was assured that you weren't. And plus the fact you are engaged to be married, or sort-of."

"Would it shock you to know that I don't usually act like this? I guess I must be more comfortable with you than I thought 'work-wife'." He was getting to comfortable with the term 'work-wife'.

"Yes that would shock me. Today is the first time we have met in person or talked."

"Well I did tell you how incredible you look in that dress, didn't I?"

"Where is your fiancée?" she said as she looked around the crowd as if she was trying to locate her although she had never seen her before.

He exhaled sharply; he really hated the rumor mill at the office. "I don't have a fiancée but that's a story for another time...Look Liv, I'm not a jerk or a cheat and I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable I just think we could be good friends and that would be good since we are going to be working very closely together."

"I'm good with being friends."

"Good. So can friends dance together? Am I allowed to dance with you?"

"Yes, let's dance," she said quickly, figuring less conversation would be better.

What she didn't count on was how it would feel being in his arms. The feel of his hand on her bare back, with his thumb rubbing her, absentmindedly making patterns. She kept looking away, while she could feel his eyes focused on her. She should have felt uncomfortable or weird but she didn't. All she wanted was to rest there in his arms the entire night. She wanted to take him home with her. _What the hell!_ She never had thoughts like that. She was not a casual lover. Her last relationship went on for 3 months before sex was ever attempted. _Why was she so attracted to this man?_

The song ended and Fitz released her. He cleared his throat. "I think I better call it an evening. It's getting late. I'll see you Monday Liv." He kissed her cheek and left the floor.

Fitz knew he had to get out of there. He had to get away from her. His body was reacting to her like he was a teenage boy. The feel of her in his arms was too right, like she was made to be with him; like it should always be that way. But a personal relationship with Olivia Pope was off limits. They would be working together, spending hours and hours with each other; it had to remain professional, strictly platonic. Nothing could jeopardize that.

She was dazed and confused by his abrupt departure. Still, she liked him a lot; but not enough to cross the boundaries of their professional relationship. She was an adult, she could control her emotions. And her personal morals would never allow her to try to come between the relationship he had with his fiancée, or not his fiancée – whatever, it was none of her business anyway. She wasn't that type of person. They could have a perfectly platonic working relationship.

She looked around trying to find Abby; but couldn't locate her. Oh well, Abby knew how to take care of herself. She was probably on the arm of that guy from the Marketing Department. She had to give Abby credit – whomever she wanted, she usually got. She imagined for a moment how it would feel to leave a party on Fitz' arm but shook her head of the crazy fascination and decided to blame it on the alcohol. She needed to get home. She was tired, exhausted really, but she as excited. And all of a sudden, she couldn't wait until Monday morning.


	2. Dating Dilemma: He's Keeping Secrets

**(Thanks everyone..so glad you like the new story. So I won't be around this weekend and probably won't be able to update so I thought I would go ahead and post Chapter 2. I hope you like it. I hope you will review and let me know your thoughts too. Have a great weekend.)**

**Dating Dilemma: He's Keeping Secrets**

"Lexi has a boyfriend and I don't like him," Olivia told Abby as they grabbed coffee on their way in to the office.

"Why don't you like him?" Abby asked.

"I don't know, I just get a feeling in my gut that he is no good and he's older than her," Olivia put some money in the TIP jar and led Abby out of the coffee shop.

"How much older?"

"He's 30."

"So what? It's not like he's old enough to be her Daddy. Would you prefer that he was younger than her?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. I can't put my finger on it yet. He's just not right for her."

"Man-hater," Abby accused.

"I'm not a man-hater Abby. I'm just protective of my little sister. Anyway, she was pretty upset that I wasn't very friendly to him so I promised to make it up to her by having him over for dinner in about a week."

"She is not a baby Liv, she is a 22 year old college graduate. She has a good head on her shoulders and she should be dating, like a normal person."

"I know I'm not normal," Olivia admitted with a sigh.

"No you are not. You haven't dated in 2 years. Men fall all over you everywhere you go and you don't give them a second look. You're not normal. I swear I don't know what you're looking for…Speaking of men, how was your first day working with Fitz? He's handsome isn't he? I bet he smells awesome." Abby was getting worked up just thinking about him.

"Abby calm down, whether or not he was gorgeous has no bearing on our working relationship?"

"Gorgeous huh….I said handsome, you graduated him up to gorgeous," Abby pointed out.

Olivia shook her head. "I said handsome too didn't I?….Oh well I meant to say that," she saw Abby eyeing her skeptically. "Stop it Abby, he's nice and a hard-worker. I am looking forward to working with him. And that's all."

"Sure OK….So anyway the guy in Marketing…his name is David Rosen. Saturday night was amazing Liv…A-ma-zing," Abby screamed, which caused a man on the street to turn around and look at her like she was crazy.

Olivia laughed, "Abby you're causing a scene….Spare me the details please."

"Sorry. But wait til you meet him… You're gonna love him Liv. I would say let's double date but I would need to find you a man first."

"Abby I don't need you to find me a man. I can find one on my own, IF I wanted to and right now I just don't want to," Olivia said but even she didn't believe it when she said it. Of course she wanted to be in a relationship but she wanted the right one. She wasn't into all the trial and error of dating this guy and the next. She just wanted to KNOW him when she saw him. She wanted him to be her best friend, the person she talked to when she went to bed at night and when she woke up in the morning. She wanted to skip past the awkward stage and fall straight into love.

"I'll start believing you when YOU start believing you," Abby said.

They got to the elevator and saw that Fitz was already standing there surrounded by a crowd of people ready to rush the elevator as soon as the doors opened. He looked like he just stepped out of a GQ magazine cover shoot. He was dressed in a collared shirt, slacks and a tailored jacket. He hid his face behind dark sunglasses. He sipped his coffee, oblivious to the two women in the crowd gawking at him; whispering and giggling. He paid them no attention. _He's probably used to it_, Olivia thought. She was surprised he wasn't conceited but then again she really didn't know. She had only spent a few minutes in his presence the other night.

Abby whispered to Olivia, "They guy doesn't even notice women lusting after him. Amazing."

They walked up to him and Olivia said, "Good Morning Fitz."

He looked down at her and took off his glasses, "Oh hey, Good Morning Liv," he instinctively hugged her to him and kissed her cheek. "Good Morning, its Abby right?" He shook her hand.

"Yes, Abby, Good Morning," Abby said as she watched their interchange, taking special note of Olivia's reaction to Fitz. She had never seen such a dreamy look in her friend's eyes. She would bet money that Olivia was falling for him; even if she would never admit it.

"How was your weekend?" he asked.

"Fine and yours?"

"Non eventful."

The elevator dinged and everyone piled in. It wouldn't take long for it to be filled to capacity. Olivia was so petite that often taller people looked over her. She was used to pushing her way into an elevator or she could be left behind. But this time Fitz put his hand at the small of her back and guided her inside. He stood at the very back of the elevator while she and Abby stood in front of him. It was a nice gesture and Olivia looked up at him over her shoulder and said, "Thank you". He bent down closer to her ear and said, "Anytime."

Abby smiled to herself. She had only observed them for a couple of minutes and could already see the desire they had for each other. It was palpable; it could start a forest fire. She kept her comments to herself. She was on the 5th floor and when her stop came she told Olivia she would call her later and wished Fitz a good day.

Fitz and Olivia continued to ride the elevator to their stop on the 21st floor. But in between, more and more people kept getting on the elevator until at one point Olivia found herself completely pushed up against Fitz with her back against his chest. She could feel the heat radiating from him and she had to resist the urge to lean against him and wait for his arms to encircle her. It was amazing how natural she felt with him; it was like they had been friends for years or known each other forever. She never felt like this with any man in her life and this one was already taken.

Fitz had spent the entire weekend trying to get Olivia off of his mind but no matter what he did, she kept invading his thoughts. He almost called her several times but couldn't think of a valid reason to do so. He kept himself busy with various activities and getting out with friends but at the oddest moments he would be reminded of her by a something someone said, a sweet fragrance that hit his nose or someone asking about her directly. He had been anticipating Monday morning when he would see her again. And now to have her standing this close to him was exactly what he had been waiting for. He allowed himself to indulge in the small infatuation knowing that logically it would soon blow over and he would be content to remain friends.

When they got off the elevator, they walked in silence to their respective offices which happened to be right next to each other. "Oh before I forgot, Cy wanted to see us both first thing," Fitz said.

"Ok let me just put my things down," Olivia said as she entered her office still filled with boxes waiting to be unpacked.

"Yeah me too," he said as he went to his office.

They walked together to Cyrus' office at the other end of the hall. He was there with Quinn, the department assistant. She immediately smiled at seeing Olivia.

"Olivia, it's nice to meet you. I'm Quinn, the department assistant. I sit right outside your office doors. Whatever you need let me know," she shook Olivia's hand.

Olivia immediately liked her. "Thanks Quinn. I appreciate that."

Cyrus was in a good mood, excited even. He took out a stack of letters from his top desk drawer. "These are letters…over 50 letters of people looking for you two to solve their dating problems. We haven't even published your first article yet. All we did was put in a little teaser in the last edition and invite people to write in and this is the response we got. Can you believe it?" Cyrus was so enthusiastic, he was practically salivating. "And Quinn how many emails did we get?"

"35, well we started with 65 but I filtered like Cy asked me to and weeded out the ridiculous requests and the extremely pornographic ones," she said happily.

Cyrus practically cut her off to continue talking, "Can you believe it? Did I not say that this was a gold mine, waiting to be discovered? No one is doing what you two are about to do. It's an untapped market. We just need to capitalize on it….So read through each one of them; narrow it down to the top 2-3 you want to address and give me your responses by tomorrow morning. Remember this is not a magazine article designed to make you both agree, in fact it is expected that most times you will not agree. It is meant to showcase the differences and similarities in the thinking of men and women in matters of love and sex. And I don't have to remind you that sex sells. So please don't take the safe, boring route…I'm not encouraging vulgarity but by all means make it entertaining, which I have every reason in the world to believe that both of you will. Ok that's it, copy on my desk by tomorrow morning. Alright, get out," he said dismissively.

As they started to leave, Cyrus said, "Oh Liv, hang back a moment."

When he and Olivia were alone, he said, "You might feel like a fish out of water but you need to know that everyone here respects you; everyone knows your talent and your skills. You don't need to prove yourself, just be you. He asked for you; he read your work and he wanted to work with you. So don't think anyone is doing you any favors."

Olivia was speechless. Cyrus was able to address all her fears with just a few words. She immediately relaxed. "Thanks Cy, I appreciate it."

"Yeah well, just get me something good. This is a new feature article in our magazine Liv; we need to sell it to the public. It has the potential to send you and Fitz public, take you national, if we do it right."

"Right, Cy."

XXXXXX

"You can't be serious; you really think that is the right way for him to go? That's the response you are going to go with?" Olivia asked completely baffled by his response.

"I am very serious….You don't have to agree with me, that's the whole point remember."

"Yeah but I'm just saying, your response, well….it's wrong," she said laughing.

"It's not," he countered. He could tell she wasn't seeing his side of the argument. "Ok listen to what he's saying Liv," Fitz said as he picked up the letter from her desk and was about to re-read it. They had narrowed the letters down to a final two. They had been discussing this letter for the past two hours. Quinn had brought them lunch since it was clear that they weren't going anywhere.

Fitz continued, "He says, 'there's a new girl at the office and we recently started dating. I haven't told her that I used to date and had sex with her co-worker. We had sort-of a bad breakup and I can't be sure that she won't confront the new girl about our previous relationship. I really like this new girl and I'm afraid our co-worker will sabotage the whole thing. Should I worry about it? Should I tell the new girl about it?...You really can't see why he should just keep his mouth shut?"

Their discussion was animated, passionate and sometimes heated. Their voices raised octaves and as a result, Quinn crept up and closed the door to the office to give them more privacy but also to prevent a disturbance to the entire floor. Fitz and Olivia took it all in stride. They each loved a good debate and enjoyed arguing their viewpoints, especially when it was clear that it wouldn't cause any hurt feelings.

"No Fitz, I really can't," she said smiling. She was genuinely interested in how his mind worked.

"They just started dating; they haven't even reached a level to talk about past relationships."

"And normally I would agree with you but the two women work together. The old girlfriend is bound to bring it up and then he's going to have a bigger problem on his hands, then he started off with. The new girlfriend is not going to trust him any longer and she's going to think he's still sleeping with the old girlfriend."

"But she's **not **his girlfriend. They only just started dating."

"To women it doesn't matter. If you don't tell us, it means you're keeping secrets. If you're keeping secrets then you have something to hide. If you have something to hide then you must be cheating."

"Oh my god….you really think like that?" he said with a look of shock on his face.

"Hey leave me out of it…I said women in general, not necessarily me," she clarified.

"OK then let's say for instance he tells her; he comes clean. Do you know what happens next? The new girl starts obsessing. Now she wants to know how long did they go out? Did they have sex? How many times? What positions? Was it good? Does he think she's prettier than her? Why did they break up? Does he still love her? Does he still think about her? She'll never let it go…It's all downhill from there."

"So if we were dating, you wouldn't want to know about the other guys here that I've dated until we were an official couple?"

"Of course I would! I would need to know right now," he said laughing, but he quickly sobered, "Wait, have you dated someone who works here?" he asked as he instantly became more serious.

She laughed at him. "Fitz you're hilarious; you're thinking and reasoning is flawed. You just switched sides when I put you and me in the same situation."

"I did and that was because it involved you. Normal dating standards no longer apply," he said and gave her that charming smile of his.

"You're incorrigible. Alright you write your side and I'll write mine. How long will it take you?"

He looked at his watch; it was already 4PM. "Ok let's get back together around 6PM, is that good?"

XXXXXX

By 8PM, they were finally close to a rough draft for Cyrus. Olivia needed to get to the gym desperately. Her muscles were getting stiff and she needed a good workout. That would be the only way to guarantee a good night's sleep. It was convenient that the building had a gym on the top floor that didn't close until 11PM. She stood and stretched, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Are you fading on me?" Fitz asked when he saw her trying to stretch her neck.

"No I'm still with you. I just need to get to the gym after this. A good swim will relax me. Then I can sleep like a baby."

"You want some company?" Fitz offered.

"Are you a swimmer?"

"Swimmer, runner…" he ended with a shrug. She smiled, unable to resist the urge of allowing her eyes to travel the full length of his body and admiring it. He was in great shape.

"Alright, I'll finish this last paragraph while you grab your gear so we can go," she said, suddenly excited to see him bare-chested.

When Olivia came out of the dressing room, Fitz was already in the pool. But his chest was still visible and it was just as she imagined – chiseled with a 6-pack. He was like a Greek god. She tried not to stare but it was almost impossible.

Fitz turned when he saw Olivia entering the pool. She looked absolutely perfect in her white bathing suit. She was beautiful in every way and he wanted desperately to touch her – gather her to his arms and caress her ass. They weren't completely alone; there were still a couple of employees lounging in the Jacuzzi. So he reminded himself to behave.

She eased her body in the pool and walked over next to him. "Can you handle 7 laps?" she asked.

Fitz laughed. "I think I will manage."

She beat him. He couldn't believe it but she beat him. He couldn't remember the last time a girl beat him at something. Well the last time was when he was 8 and Josie Smalls beat him in a neighborhood relay race but that was because he really liked her and he threw the race in the end hoping she would like him back, but she never did. Olivia, though, beat him because she was better.

He was quiet and she suspected that he was sulking. "Don't feel bad, I was on the swim team in college; the captain actually."

He gave her a sharp look, "Well you might have told me that before I agreed to race, don't you think?"

"I could have but that then I would have missed the look on your face right now," she said as she laughed and he laughed right with her.

He waited for her to get changed and come out of the dressing room. "Hey Harrison, how's it going?" Fitz said to Harrison Wright as he walked out of the changing room.

"I'm good. You waiting for someone?" they shook hands. Fitz liked Harrison although they rarely saw each other unless they had some type of pre-arranged outside arrangement. Harrison worked in the Marketing and Advertising Department.

"Yeah, my new partner, Olivia Pope," Fitz answered.

"Oh I heard about her coming aboard. How is it working with her?"

"She's amazing man…I'm glad she agreed to come work for CM."

"Cool. Well invite her to come to my place on Friday. I'd like to meet her…Look I gotta get home, early day tomorrow. But just so you know, we can't wait for that article to come out. We're rooting for your guys."

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later."

Minutes later, Olivia came out.

"Thanks for waiting."

"Of course no problem."

They walked to their cars and Fitz said, "You know the way I see it, you owe me big time. See, you just hustled me. You left out a crucial detail about your swimming skills and convinced me to race you knowing I would lose."

Olivia laughed.

"Alright you got me, what do you want?"

He stopped, looked her up and down and then said, "I'll let you know when I'm ready to collect."

XXXXXX

"You must be Olivia Pope," a voice said from behind her. Olivia had been talking with Harrison updating him on her work week and the warm welcome she had received from everyone at CM. She was especially grateful to be included in the invitation to his home. She had been looking forward to it all week. Abby couldn't come with her; she already scheduled a date with David. Olivia was fine coming alone but became even more relaxed when everyone appeared openly friendly and eager to talk to her.

She liked Harrison. He was a fast talker and could carry a conversation all by himself. She really didn't need to say a word. He made her laugh and teased her without being offensive. During their conversation, she found out that they had a lot of things in common. She enjoyed his company and hoped they would continue to hang out and remain friends.

Their conversation was interrupted by a woman's voice. Olivia turned to find a beautiful woman, dressed impeccably, flawless makeup, tightly coifed hair and a broad smile. The attractive appearance was meant to hide the coldness behind her eyes. Immediately Olivia guessed who it was: Mellie.

"I am and you are?" she said as stuck out her hand as a gesture in greeting. Mellie shook her hand and eyed her suspiciously, never breaking the smile.

"I'm Mellie," she said as she looked Olivia up and down – twice. It was an insult.

"I know…I'm not what you expected. I get that a lot…Can you believe that some people actually assume I'm Caucasian? Imagine that," both women gave a phony laugh as if on cue. "So you're Fitz' **girlfriend**." Olivia was not a catty woman but Mellie immediately rubbed her the wrong way. Mellie was insulting and condescending, so Olivia had no problem downgrading her relationship with Fitz to girlfriend status.

"Fiancée," Mellie corrected.

"Whatever," Olivia responded flippantly. It was clear the two women were not going to be friends. Harrison watched the exchanged closely. He was humored by the cold demeanor that they both tried to hide under the pretense of warmth and civility.

Mellie chuckled. "I thought it was time that we meet. It would only be right that we meet and get to know each other. I mean Fitz spends most of his time with you right."

"Yes he does. I'm kind of like his work-wife," Olivia said with a chuckle of her own. Harrison choked on his drink at the comment. He laughed and excused himself from their presence.

"Cute," Mellie said with irritation, smile never faltering. "Well, I'm sure you both will continue to work well with each other, at least for the next six months."

"Six months? What happens in six months?"

Mellie smiled brighter realizing this was the moment when she could wipe the smug look off of Olivia's face. It made her feel good to get the last jab in; she relished in the feeling of superiority. "Fitz didn't tell you?..."she carefully inserted the laugh again, "his contract with CM is up in 6 months and then he takes over his father's publishing company."

Olivia's looked around the room until her eyes found Fitz in the crowd. She gave him a cold look and quickly walked away; she felt like she was going to be sick.


	3. Dating Rule: If He Can Cook, He's A

**(Hi Everyone. I am so happy and thankful that you like this story. It is so much fun to write about Fitz and Olivia. So I hope you will continue to enjoy them in this AU. Thank you for reading and please leave feedback and comments.)**

**Dating Rule: If He Can Cook; He's A Keeper**

"What is that?" Olivia said.

"It's a dog Liv…You know what that is don't you…a dog," Lexi chuckled as she walked through the door. She would normally have used the key Olivia gave her but her hands were full with the dog and all the pet supplies she had bought.

"Yes I know it's a dog but what is it doing here?" Olivia looked a mess, much like she felt. She came home last night and almost drank a full bottle of red wine. She woke up with a headache. It was noon and she still felt like a truck ran over her.

"I got her for you, she's yours. Her name is Josie, you know like Josephine Baker," Alexis explained and Olivia immediately smiled. Josephine Baker was their mother's favorite entertainer. Alexis smiled too. "I knew you would like her. She's a Shorkie and she is absolutely beautiful and cuddly, see hold her," Alexis finished as she held the dog out for Olivia to hold.

Olivia couldn't resist; Josie was absolutely adorable. She took her into her arms and became instantaneously attached. "She is beautiful. But why did you get her for me?" She led Alexis to the service porch to find an area to put down the doggie bowls and other items.

"I bought her because last night you sounded horrible. Right now you look worse, no offense. You are lonely in this house by yourself and you need company and you need cheering up….No one can be sad around Josie." Olivia called her last night when she was driving home from the party at Harrison's house. She went on a tirade, yelling about how she had been 'screwed over' by Fitz and Cyrus; how they didn't tell her the truth; how all men were liars and cheats and finally how she was going to review her contract to see if she could prove deliberate deception for a possible lawsuit. Alexis knew better than to say anything when Olivia was venting, even when most of what she said was exaggerated and more than likely false. So she let her talk until she was literally exhausted.

Olivia took another look at Josie in her arms and smiled at the pink bow Alexis put in her hair. She was right; every time she looked at her she smiled.

Alexis continued, "And she is already trained to let you know when she needs to go potty. She's even had all her shots. She's just perfect. Perfect for you Liv. She's so small; she fits in your purse. You can take her everywhere you go."

"Stop selling me on her. I love her already. She's staying," Olivia said as she gave her sister a hug.

XXXXXX

"Oh my god…I had no idea that his family was super rich," Alexis said. They were sitting in Olivia's bed using her laptop researching Fitz' family. Josie was sitting in between them.

Alexis continued, "Grant is the "G" in the MGM movie studio company. His father also owns Sunset Studios and two publishing companies. Wow they have a media empire…."Olivia listened but stared off into space, stroking Josie's soft fur.

"Fitz has two brothers and one sister. His older brother took over operations at MGM. The other brother is apparently into acting….Oh I've seen him before. Look Liv don't you recognize him?" she turned the laptop so Olivia could see the picture.

"Yes I've seen him before – on TV or in a movie, I can't remember. I wouldn't have guessed he was Fitz' brother; Fitz is taller and much more attractive," Olivia said. Alexis shot her a look. She thought it was interesting that even though her sister was 'angry' at Fitz she found him attractive. She hadn't heard her sister complement a man in a long time.

"His sister is a movie Director….So his brothers and his sister are in the movie business and his father is the one operating the publishing business. I guess that's why he wants Fitz to come in with him, especially since Fitz is already a writer."

"Yeah I guess so," Olivia said. Her phone buzzed; she picked it up; looked at the caller ID, groaned in irritation and slammed it back down; ignoring the call.

"How many times has he called?" Alexis asked.

Olivia exhaled sharply. "I don't know….a lot….12…..It doesn't matter. I'm not ready to talk to him….He should have told me."

Alexis went to another webpage and saw a family portrait. They were a beautiful family. She wondered how well they got along with each other. She wondered if they were loving and affectionate with each other. She kept scrolling and found that Fitz' mother had died when he was young. It was yet another thing he had in common with her sister.

She closed the laptop down and turned to Olivia. "Look I know you don't want to hear this but here goes and frankly I don't care because you need to hear it. Please stop projecting Edison into all your relationships with the opposite sex…"

Olivia looked at her sister and opened her mouth in shock. "Don't speak his name to me and I am doing no such thing. That man had not been on my mind in years."

"You may not do it consciously Liv but you do it just the same. Every man you meet you are just waiting for him to mess up in some way; just waiting for the shoe to drop; waiting for an excuse to hate him. You just did it….Do you realize that you just let his bitchy his girlfriend/fiancée, whoever the hell she is; get totally inside your head? You knew she didn't like you and is probably jealous of your relationship with her man and you still believed her over Fitz. You were looking for a reason to hate him because otherwise he was just too perfect. You were looking for something and you found it."

She waited for Olivia to say something but she didn't, so she continued, "You don't know if Fitz wants to join the family business or not. Did it ever occur to you that he might like working with you?...What you should have done was gone straight to Fitz and talk to him about it but it was easier for you to be angry at him. Instead of working on the relationship you push it away when it gets hard even though you walk around waiting for the day it's going to get hard! You're thinking is warped….as I said no offense," Alexis quickly said. She wanted her sister to be happy but she made it so hard on herself. Edison not only screwed with her heart but he screwed up her head.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Liv but you do this a lot, you condemn men before you even give them a chance. You've been doing it ever since Edison. Now granted that bastard deserved it, what he did to you was unforgivable but all men are not like him – they don't all lie and cheat….Fitz may be one of the good guys but you need to give him a chance to show you."

Olivia remained silent but Alexis knew she heard her. Once again, Alexis wished she had followed her instincts years ago and had some guys go handle Edison. It would have made her feel a lot better if Edison was only able to drink food through a straw for the rest of his life.

"Ok enough of that. I'm not getting paid to be your shrink…pull yourself together and get dressed. We're going out….you're starting to depress me."

XXXXXX

She couldn't recall ever seeing Fitz so pissed off. Even when he was irritated with her high-handedness, she was usually able to calm him down and get him to control his anger. But this time was different. Something changed and Mellie couldn't help but wonder if Olivia Pope had something to do with it.

They had been together for almost two years. In the beginning it was nice, never passionate or earth-shattering; she didn't think Fitz was that kind of man. But their relationship was comfortable. She thought they got a long pretty well. They learned each other's likes and dislikes and were finally able to deal tolerably with each other. It wasn't a love match; it never had been. They met on a blind date arranged by some friends. She researched him and his family thoroughly before the date and she could see his potential for great wealth and success. He was the youngest child but his affinity for writing made him the only one his father wanted to take over the publishing businesses.

Mellie learned the right things to do to please Fitz and before long he was attached to her. She made it easy for him to be in the relationship; never making too many demands, allowing him his freedom to come and go as he pleased. She only asked that for significant public events, they give the appearance of a united, happy couple. Until now, Fitz seemed perfectly fine with their arrangement.

Mellie really didn't believe that successful marriages were based on deep, all-encompassing love. To her the most successful marriages were the ones founded on tight, iron-clad business arrangements. If she wanted love, she could search for it outside of the marriage. Her inevitable marriage to Fitz would be a good union of two intelligent, attractive, well-bred people.

"I really don't understand what the problem is. All I did was tell Olivia the truth," she explained on the ride home from Harrison's party.

He didn't respond. She noticed that he gripped the wheel tighter. There was a vein popping out of the side of his neck; something she had never seen before. She would need to tread lightly. She was confident that she would handle him in the end, just as she always had, but this time, extra skill would be required.

"I like Olivia….she's a nice person", that lie earned her a sharp look from Fitz; clearly he didn't believe her. She continued, undeterred, but this time shifting the blame to him. "Look Fitz, I thought you already told her. It was a shock to me that she didn't know already. Why didn't you tell her?"

Still no response. His nostrils were flaring.

She sighed as Fitz pulled into the driveway of her home and waited for her to get out. He put the car in park but didn't turn off the engine. He remained unresponsive, not looking at her. "Fitz I don't know why you are so angry with me. I merely do what I've always done - help you, encourage you and push you when needed. We both know this is what you want. You don't want to be stuck at that magazine when you could be the head of two multi-billion publishing houses. Who would pass up such an offer? I know you will make the right decision in the end and I think Olivia needed to know that."

"No one asked you!"

"What?" the level of his anger startled her.

"No one asked you! No one asked you to weigh in on my life! No one cares what you think! It is not your place to tell anyone anything about me and my future because you have no idea what the hell you are talking about! I never agreed to go work for my father, so please stop assuming that I will. You're making an ass out of yourself."

"I can't….I can't believe that you are speaking to me this way Fitzgerald. Why would you hurt me like this?" she started to tear up. She knew he hated tears. He would instantly calm down at the sound of emotion in her voice; he would comfort her and apologize. At least that's how it usually went.

Fitz sighed. He knew he shouldn't have yelled and he said some hurtful things. This woman always had the ability to push all his buttons. "Mellie I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled at you. I apologize."

She hid her smile behind her hands as she waited for him to say more. She was the winner of yet another fight. She waited and she waited.

He finally spoke, "Goodnight Mellie." He wouldn't be walking her to her door. He just wanted her to leave.

She looked at him in disbelief. It was rude. Not knowing what else to do, she slowly opened the passenger door, trying to give him time to say something else; to make up with her.

"Mellie," he finally said and she turned back to him with a bright smile, believing that her patience had paid off. He continued, "Please stop telling people we are engaged, we are not. I have not proposed to you."

She was hurt, "Goodnight Fitz." She slammed the car door shut. Fitz drove off, not even waiting to ensure that she was safely inside.

Fitz cursed himself repeatedly. He should have known something would happen tonight. He saw the moment Mellie made her way over to Olivia. He tried to watch their interaction but he was caught up in another conversation. Before long, he looked up and saw Olivia staring at him coldly and that's when he knew Mellie had said something to set her off. He saw Olivia leaving the party and when he caught up to her and grabbed her arm, she snatched it back forcefully. The look in her eyes gave him the chills. She said nothing and walked away.

Fitz tried calling Olivia repeatedly after he dropped Mellie off but she wouldn't pick up the phone. He sent her text messages asking her to call him. He could only imagine what she would be thinking. She probably called him every bad word in the book, thinking he was going to use her for the magazine article and then cut out leaving her high and dry with her career in the balance. He wouldn't do that to her. He cared about her too much to hurt her like that. It was true that his father kept hounding him to come and work at the publishing house when his contract ended but he kept declining. He liked his career. He liked working at CM and he liked working with Olivia. Who knows what the future held but right now he couldn't see himself working apart from her and it had only been a little over a week. She had become invaluable to him.

By the next afternoon when she still had not responded, he got even more worried. He was desperate to talk to her before Monday morning.

He checked his phone again and saw that Mellie called him twice but he ignored it. He cared about Mellie but he was not in love with her. He never was. And he wasn't sure that love even mattered at this point. His family taught him that love weakened relationships and made a person vulnerable to manipulation and deception. Their family could not take the risk. All it took was one bad marriage to ruin what his grandfather and father took a lifetime to build. To them, it was better to keep emotions out of relationships. Try as they may, that motto didn't seem to result in successful relationships for his family. His mother died when he was young and soon after her death, his father had a procession of girlfriends – never one lasting for very long. He married and divorced 3 times; each time protecting his assets with unbreakable pre-nup agreements.

His siblings didn't navigate their love lives any better. His oldest brother, Benjamin, refused to get married; feeling like women were always trying to trap him into commitment. He was a notorious bachelor – going through women like Kleenex. There was a scandal several years ago when he got a girl pregnant but the girl disappeared before she had the baby and no one ever told Fitz what exactly happened. His sister, Catherine Lilliana, affectionately called Lily, had a horrible record of ruined relationships, two failed marriages and a stint in Malibu Passages for alcohol abuse. And finally his brother, Thomas, the actor, claimed that it was better for his public persona to give the appearance of being single. He was a casual dater by trade and was known to leave one girl for another in a 12-hour time span.

Fitz never knew what being in love looked like or what it felt like. Even among his friends he couldn't point to a relationship that he admired. It seemed like it didn't exist, at least not in the world he knew. So when he and Mellie seemed to get along just as well as any couple, it seemed natural to keep the relationship going. But all of sudden he was no longer content to be with her; he suddenly wanted much more but he didn't know what that was and he definitely didn't know how to get it.

XXXXX

She saw him before Olivia did and she smiled to herself. She knew he got her text message and would follow her instructions. She wasn't sorry for interfering; sometimes her sister was too stubborn and too judgmental. Olivia had a pattern: she would continue to sulk all weekend; think of all the reasons she was justified for hating him and carry that anger into work on Monday. It would affect their partnership and the work. So while Olivia was getting her nails done, she took her phone and sent him a text message with her sister's address. These two needed to talk face-to-face.

When Olivia looked up and saw him, she immediately shot daggers at Alexis. "Am I correct in thinking this is your doing?"

"Yes and I'm **not** sorry," Alexis said confidently.

"Of course you aren't," Olivia said with obvious irritation. She looked at him and couldn't help but think of how adorable he looked standing on her porch waiting for her. She almost smiled but remembered how mad she was at him. She frowned to let him know that she was not happy.

She got out the car with Josie in her hands. "What are you doing here Fitz?" she asked not bothering to look at him but moving past him to open her front door. She thought Alexis was coming in too but was surprised to hear sound of her car pulling away. Fitz followed her inside.

"We need to talk and you refused to return my calls and my messages, which, I have to say was very childish. Adults talk about things Liv."

Olivia got angry. The first words out of his mouth were supposed to be "I'm sorry" but here he was chastising her for not talking to him. "Don't you dare come in my house and call me childish! You are a liar Fitz! You and Cyrus took advantage of me. You knew you weren't renewing your contract and you let me believe that we were a team. We aren't a team; you are in this for yourself. You are biding your time until you can go and start your real career working for your father….I can't believe you wouldn't tell me. How could you do that?" Josie could feel her tension and started squirming in her arms, so Olivia put her on the floor. Josie ran to Fitz and began sniffing his feet. Fitz instinctively picked her up and began petting her. Olivia turned away and went into the kitchen like she couldn't stand the sight of him anymore.

He followed after her. "Damn, you are so dramatic Liv. Do I get to talk at all? Do I get to explain? Or do you think you have it all figured out?"

She slammed the refrigerator door closed and looked at him. She lifted her hand in a gesture to tell him to continue.

"Thank you….First you are wrong. I am not leaving in six months. I plan on renewing my contract for the standard 2 years. I want to continue working with you. I like working with you. I didn't tell you because it was never an issue for me. It was not something I was even considering as a possibility. It's not an option for me."

She was softening. "Give me my dog," she snatched Josie out of his arms. She was jealous that Josie liked him, which she knew was ridiculous but she didn't care. "Why would Mellie tell me that then?"

_Because she is jealous of my relationship with you_, he wanted to say but didn't. "Mellie wants me to go work for my father. She wants me to become my father. She doesn't think I have a real future at CM and thinks the publishing companies are the only way I will make something out of my life and be rich and successful. She thinks exactly like my father."

She looked at him, trying to find more words to challenge him with but couldn't find any.

"Liv, I'm telling you the truth. I'm not leaving you."

"Fine," she said unconvincingly.

"Fine? Are we good?"

"We're fine."

"Then why do you still have an attitude?"

"I don't have an attitude," she said and he looked at her like she was crazy. She still had a huge attitude. She ignored the look. "So who is she to you?"

"Mellie? Oh you mean the fiancée thing? No, she is not my fiancée. I have not proposed to her although if she had it her way we would be getting married tomorrow….She is or was my girlfriend. We had a big argument last night…." He trailed off, not willing to continue.

He had no idea why Olivia was still frowning at him. The only thing he could account for was the possibility that she did not fully trust him. It was understandable, trust takes time and they had only known each other for a short while although he could swear that it felt like they had known each other practically forever. He was not disheartened; he would earn her trust and friendship.

"I like your house….It's very YOU," he said smiling. The color scheme and the décor matched to Olivia's style of simple, chic and elegant. He was trying to change the subject to something more comfortable; something that could get her to start smiling again. He moved out of the kitchen towards the living room. "So what are you doing for dinner?"

Olivia had been watching him skeptically, trying to make up her mind whether or not she believed him. She wanted to and she supposed that he had no reason to lie to her but admittedly her gut was flawed when it came to men.

"I don't know. I'll probably cook something. I forgot to go to the store but, I'll figure something out," she didn't want him to offer to take her out to dinner. She didn't feel up to being out at a restaurant.

"No problem, we'll stay in. We can make a quick run to the store and get what we need and we'll cook together," he said as he sat down on the couch.

"We?...Don't you have something better to do?"

"Better than cooking with you? No," the sexy smile was back.

She shook her head and smiled despite herself. It was hard for her to be anything but happy in his presence.

"Alright fine," she said reluctantly with a slight smile.

"So what's your dog's name?"

"Josie."

Fitz smiled and called Josie by name. Josie barked jumped out of Olivia's arms and ran to Fitz. Josie clearly trusted him and that was a start. He laughed out loud at Olivia's reaction. Her irritation was obvious by the frown on her face; evidently she didn't like the fact that Josie had switched sides.

XXXXXX

It was now clear to her that when he said they would cook together, he meant that he would cook and direct her on how to help him. His sister Lily was apparently an excellent cook and taught him several dishes including his 'amazingly good' chicken cacciatore. He moved through the grocery store effortlessly, gathering all the ingredients necessary for the meal. Her mind was moving constantly, firing off unanswered questions, as she watched him; his affluent background made him seem different in her eyes.

"You have a lot on your mind," he said as they stood in line at the checkout. It wasn't a question and there was no way she could deny it.

She looked away, "mmmm."

"You have a lot of questions you want to ask me," he concluded.

She still hadn't looked at him.

"Alright one hour."

That response made her look back at him with a questioning gaze, "What?"

"One hour. For one hour you can ask me anything about my family and I will try to answer your questions. I don't really like talking about my family and much of it is not something they want publicized but I know I can trust you with the information," his blue eyes pierced through her. He wanted her to understand how connected he felt to her.

She looked down because she couldn't do the same for him. She wasn't ready.

As they drove back to her home, she asked "So why does everyone believe you are engaged to Mellie?"

"Is the one hour starting now?" he said smiling.

"No, unless you consider Mellie as part of your family," she smiled back, knowing she had bested him.

He chuckled and said, "Years ago Mellie interned at CM. But she wanted to pursue broadcast journalism. She works as a researcher now at a local station but she's ambitious enough and I know she will end up anchoring for them soon. Anyway when she was here she made several friends that she still keeps in touch with. One of them is on our floor, her name is Amanda Tanner."

"Oh yeah, I've seen her several times," Olivia recalled. She didn't mention that the girl seemed hostile towards her and continued to give her the silent treatment.

"Well Amanda is one of Mellie's closest friends. It's my guess that Mellie told Amanda about the non-existent engagement and Amanda spread the rumor."

Olivia regarded him silently. There seemed to be a cat-and-mouse-game going on that she was slowly finding herself standing in the middle of. "Mellie believes your engagement to be a foregone conclusion. So what's your hesitation?"

He was silent; never answering the question. He couldn't put it into words. On the one hand, it seemed like the natural progression of things and it was unfair to string Mellie along; but on the other hand, the idea of marrying her left him feeling trapped and unhappy. He just couldn't imagine his life with Mellie tied to his neck like a noose.

XXXXXX

She was preparing the salad, while he located the red wine and poured them both glasses. She had never worked with a man in the kitchen like this but it was nice. It seemed easy and comfortable. Being with him, required no effort at all, she guessed it was because there were no expectations to their relationship. They could both relax and just be friends.

When she finished, she sat on the bar stool at the counter and watched him continue to work on the chicken. She started asking questions about his family, to which he answered openly. She asked about his upbringing, his parents and his current relationship with his siblings. He seemed closest to his sister Lily and Olivia hoped she would meet her one day. She kept inquiring on his relationship with his father and his work at the publishing houses. Fitz knew this was her way of testing how interested he was in taking over the business and he didn't mind. He continued to answer her questions as truthfully as he knew how.

Olivia was relaxing and he could tell.

"Here can you taste this?" he asked holding up a large spoon filled with red sauce.

She walked over and he spoon-fed her, "mmm that's really good," she said with a note of surprise to her voice. She licked her lips.

He didn't move; he just stood there staring at her still holding the spoon close to her mouth. "Can you just...just one more taste. I have to see you do that with your lips again?"

She couldn't help but laugh.


	4. Dating Rule: Always Wear Sexy Underwear

**Dating Rule: Always Wear Sexy Underwear**

"Excuse me, can I help you? Are you lost?"

She turned to find a well-dressed man with the brightest, most seductive smile she had ever seen. It was genuine, refreshing and adorable. She found herself rudely staring at him, with a goofy smile planted on her face.

She cleared her throat to gather her thoughts. "Yes, I'm looking for my sister. I think I'm on the wrong floor," Alexis said.

Harrison had seen her wondering around the floor and immediately knew that she did not work there. He certainly would have remembered if he had seen her before. She was beautiful. She had a walk of confidence that enticed him. And as if he was in a trance, before long he found himself chasing after her. He followed behind her for several minutes admiring her shapely legs showing beneath her knee-length skirt and the gentle sway of her hips.

"I can help you. Who is your sister?" he asked anxious to spend as much time as possible in her presence.

"Thank you, my sister is Olivia Pope. I'm Alexis by the way, and you are?" she held her hand out eagerly waiting to make contact with his.

"Harrison Wright, pleased to meet you," he shook her hand and held on to it for as long as he could without drawing undue attention to them. "Well your sister is on a different floor; allow me to take you there."

"Thank you, I would appreciate it," she said.

He guided her to the elevator; gently placing his hand on the small of her back. She loved it when men did that. It was a sign of a true gentleman taking care of a lady. They entered an empty elevator and stood next to each other; only a breath of space between them. He reached over her to press the floor and Alexis took in the smell of his cologne. It was light, not over-powering but fragrant, enticing and masculine. "Excuse me," he said smiling as he apologized for reaching over her.

She met his eyes and could not look away; there was something about him that attracted her like no other man and she couldn't break the connection. She never felt like this before and possibly against her better judgment, within minutes, she was kissing him against the wall of the elevator. He tried to keep the kiss light, sweet but she deepened it and opened her mouth to take in his tongue and savor his flavor. They moaned simultaneously at the intensity of the kiss.

She lifted her leg to allow her pelvis to cradle the evidence of his growing attraction to her. She felt his hands traveling up her thigh all the way up to her underwear. He toyed with the lace trim of her panties and she was only mildly aware that they were on a public elevator, whose doors could open any minute. He was trailing kisses down her neck, while holding her leg in place so that he could grind himself into her. The daring love play only heightened her desire. The idea that she just met this man minutes ago and they could get caught was deliciously exciting. His hand was at her lace underwear and about to travel inside when….

Ding.

Like lightening the jumped apart, each taking a corner of the elevator, calming their breath and stealing glances as they righted their clothing, waiting for the doors to open.

When the doors opened, Alexis began to exit. She looked back at him and secretly gloated over the obvious affect she had on him. He was leaning against the wall still trying to recover from their tryst. She smiled and said, "Thank you Harrison, I think I can find my way from here."

She walked away from the elevator silently thanking her aunt for the gift she received and the advice she gave to always wear sexy underwear.

**Several Days Before**

Although he should not have been, Fitz was surprised when he walked into his living room Sunday morning and saw his brother crashed out on his couch.

"Tommy, Tommy, wake up, what are you doing here?" Fitz yelled over his brother.

Thomas groaned and squinted under the pressure of sunlight. "Oh come on Fitz, stop yelling….give me a minute to get it together."

Fitz sighed. "I'm going to make some coffee." He went to the kitchen to start breakfast.

"Is Mellie….or another girl…..in your bedroom?" Thomas asked as he finally walked into the kitchen with disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes.

Fitz gave him a look. "What do you think?"

"I didn't think so…that's why I thought it would be perfectly fine to come here," he said smiling. Thomas knew that he and Fitz were as different as night and day in their treatment of women.

"Why are you here?" Fitz asked again.

"You see there's this girl….I swear I only took her out a couple of times but now…."

Fitz tuned out everything else his brother said. It was always the same story. Thomas mistreated some girl and now she had turned into a stalker-chick camped out at his home. And to avoid confronting her he stayed out all night or if he got tired of that, he used the key Fitz gave him to come in and sleep. Fitz thought it was childish and wondered, as he often did, how it was that Thomas was older than him.

Fitz put a cup of coffee in front of his brother. "Drink it."

Thomas took a sip and grimaced at the strength of the brew, "So the movie premier….."

"Yeah, um, I don't know about that…."

"Oh come on Fitz, you're the only family that is willing to come. Is it too much to ask for the support of my family? It's important. It's a good movie; critics are giving it a B rating and I have a pretty significant part in it."

Fitz tried to detach himself as much as possible from the movie entertainment scene. He didn't like it. In his opinion it was filled with shallow, phony people – sharks always looking for the opportunity to suck the life out of their next innocent victim. His brother loved it. He struggled in the beginning, trying not to bank on the 'Grant' name, but now it seemed like the tide was turning. Thomas loved the big screen and bright lights and Fitz thought he was a great actor, he just hoped the Hollywood-life didn't change him for the worse – at least not too much. He was a good person at heart but the temptation of it all could change anyone without the will to resist.

"You mean Bugsy isn't even coming?" Fitz asked. "Bugsy" was the nickname they gave to their eldest brother Benjamin. He hated it when they called him that, which made all the siblings use the name even more so. He didn't ask about Lily. He knew that Lily never attended events unless it was absolutely necessary to her work. She avoided the parties and the crowds in an effort to maintain control over her sobriety.

"No, he said he had a business meeting that night, which was a lie because I didn't even tell him what night it was on!"

Fitz laughed; that sounded like something his brother would do.

"Look I got you two tickets…you can bring Mellie if you want," Thomas placed two tickets on the counter for him.

"Alright, no problem, I'll be there," Fitz said but immediately thought that Mellie would be the last person he would bring with him.

XXXXXX

Clarissa Pope was a striking woman in her late fifties. Her beauty often made people think she was younger than she actually was. She believed in looking her best at all times and therefore, took extra care to make sure her body was fit, her hair was always done and her clothes were always in the latest fashion. The unexpected death of her husband years ago left her financially secure, which allowed her to retire early from teaching. She loved to travel to Europe for extended periods of time – always enjoying the culture, the lifestyle and the men. The only thing as exciting as her trips was the time she would spend with her nieces - Olivia and Alexis – retelling her adventures abroad. When she returned they always followed the same routine: her brother, Jamison Pope, would excuse himself under the guise that he had to go to the store and shop for food, which would allow her and the girls to talk freely about everything including men and sex.

She had become very close to her nieces when their mother died during childbirth. She helped her brother, Jamison, raise the girls, thereby becoming a second mother to them. She never had children of her own and had come to view the girls as the daughters she never had.

Olivia and Alexis opened both of their gifts and immediately burst out in laughter. Each box contained several pieces of lingerie, including bra and panty sets, one of which was actually crotch less.

"Aunt Clari you are really too much," Olivia said.

"Oh please Liv, you know you need this as much as anyone. How can any woman not feel sexy and pretty wearing these? And directly from Paris -French lace underwear – very, very sexy" she said as she held up some lace thong panties. Olivia and Alexis laughed again.

"I like it all, thank you Aunt," Alexis said as she kissed her aunt's cheek in appreciation. She knew she could put the items to good use.

"So Liv, do you have a man that you can model these items for?"

Olivia blushed. After all these years, she still got embarrassed talking to her aunt about love and sex. "No I don't, not yet."

"Are you really looking? Or are you sitting around hoping the right guy will show up and ring your doorbell?"

Olivia sighed, she really didn't want to talk about her love life, or lack thereof. "A little of both."

"Don't worry honey, we will help you won't we Lexi," Clarissa said smiling.

"We certainly will," Alexis said as she winked at Olivia.

Olivia rolled her eyes, not quite sure that she really wanted either of their help.

XXXXXX

"_I am a 26 year old professional. I am the only single person in my circle of friends and sometimes when I'm around them I feel completely unattractive. My friends say that my lack of self-confidence will make it hard for me to find a man of my own and I'll be doomed to a single life forever. I hate having low self-esteem. I want to feel better about myself. Can you help?"_

"I personally think she needs a new set of friends but you look like you're itching to answer this one so go ahead," Fitz said inviting her to speak first. She normally deferred to him, allowing him to give his feedback first.

"Well, something happened yesterday and without going into too many details I think it directly relates to her letter…." She looked at him knowing that he had no idea what she was talking about. But she smiled and continued, "the answer is underwear…..she needs to start wearing sexy underwear. I bet you her underwear isn't matching or attractive in anyway. She should start wearing thongs, lace bra and panty sets, you know what I mean."

His mouth was wide open; she rendered him speechless.

"It is entirely impossible to feel unattractive when you have on the sexiest underwear. It doesn't matter who sees it or who doesn't, you know it's there and that's the point. You will walk with more confidence and with your head held high, feeling a new found appeal. And if she couples it with high heel shoes…she definitely would not have a problem thinking she is attractive."

He was still giving her the same look.

"Fitz? Do you want to add anything?"

After a few more minutes of staring at her, he finally said, "One, what the hell happened after I left you this weekend? Two, why wasn't I invited to participate? Three, you can't sit here and talk like that without expecting me to imagine you in sexy underwear. Four, you have ruined any hope I had of concentrating on work; I'm going need to go take a walk after this. And five, just answer me this, are you wearing a thong, lace or both right now?"

Olivia laughed at him. She shook her head knowing that she wasn't going to answer any one of his questions. They were suddenly interrupted by a knock on Fitz' office door. He cleared his throat. "Come in."

It was Amanda Tanner. "Hi Fitz, hey I was just wondering if you were bringing Mellie to Quinn's birthday party on Friday. I hadn't seen her in a while and was hoping she would be there so we could catch up?"

Fitz immediately sobered. "I'm not positive that I'm even going Amanda. But I'm sure you can call Mellie, like you always do and she can give you more of an update on her social life than I can."

Amanda frowned, shot Olivia a harsh look and said, "Sure, no problem, thanks."

After she left, Fitz was still frowning. It had been four days since he spoke to Mellie and he had no plan to speak to her any time soon. He didn't miss her at all. He also knew that she more than likely put Amanda up to asking him. It was a game Mellie played and he was refusing to participate. He needed a cooling off period from Mellie. He needed time to figure out what he wanted to do about their relationship. He supposed that sooner or later they would need to talk about it but Mellie's problem was that she rarely listened to anything that went against her plans and ideas.

Olivia coughed and stood up to leave, "I better go write this answer. It's going on the online posting, so we need to get it to Cy in an hour. Can you write your response in an hour?"

"Yeah I can no problem. Thanks Liv." It was amazing how one mention of Mellie and all the joy was sucked out of the room. Both he and Olivia immediately felt the loss of energy at the mention of her name. He guessed, then that if she had indeed sent Amanda in to talk to him, she had effectively accomplished her purpose of ruining the moment he had with Olivia.

"Oh hey before you go…..Next Thursday, my brother has this movie premier thing going on and he gave me two tickets. If you are free, can you come with me?"

"Ummmm?"

"It's not really my thing to do but he's looking for a little family support so I told him I would go. I don't want to go by myself, so can you come?"

She smiled at him; she thought it might be fun. She almost asked why he wasn't asking Mellie but didn't want to mention the woman's name. "Sure, I would love to…but can you do something for me too….I'm having my sister's boyfriend over for dinner the day after. The thing is my gut is telling me that something about the guy is off and I could use an objective opinion. So do you mind spending your Friday night at my place for dinner? I'm inviting my friend Abby and her date, David Rosen."

"David Rosen in Marketing?" Fitz said as he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing, I just thought he was gay."

"Gay?...With Abby?...I highly doubt that."

XXXXXX

It was the big day; the day the new CM edition was being released and "Right and Wrong Way – Dating in the City" had a cover by-line.

Olivia rushed to get dressed in the morning. She wanted to get to the office early, knowing a copy of the new edition; hot off the presses would be waiting for her. She grabbed a large cup of green tea and made her way to the office.

When she got there, she could see down the hallway that Cyrus' office light was on but that was not unusual, being that he seemed to eat and sleep in his office. Other than that the floor was empty.

She rushed in and practically ran to the magazine on her desk. She flipped to the page where the article was and an immediate rush of delight filled her. It was weird but she even smelled the fresh paper and new ink on the page. It was like the smell of accomplishment. She kept all her articles from Everyday Woman and would continue in the ritual. She wanted to look back on them one day and be proud of what she had done.

She read the article title and saw the writers name's printed as O. Pope and F. Grant. She smiled at the gesture. She and Fitz never discussed whose name would come first; she automatically assumed that since he had seniority at the company, his would, but he allowed her to go first. He really was a good guy.

She read the entire article out loud. The format was different from anything else out in print. It was written like she and Fitz were engaged in a dialogue about the dating problem. She liked the way they decided on the structuring to make it seem more enticing and dramatic. And at the end of the article, readers were invited to weigh in with their opinion on who presented the 'right way' and who presented the 'wrong way'. With the poll they would continue to have a pulse of the readership and judge the interest in their article. She couldn't wait to see the social media responses. And then she remembered the online article was being released today too. She could barely contain her excitement with the entire process. She couldn't sit still. She couldn't concentrate on work.

It was a little out of character for her but after checking her watch to make sure it would be another 15 minutes before anyone got in, she walked over and closed her office door. She then took off her heels and turned on her music. She had some pint up excited energy that she needed to get out and she started singing and dancing around her office. She was caught up in the music, enjoying the opportunity to shed the conservative, controlled life she led for a moment in exchange for a small window of freedom and abandon.

She was moving and swaying to the music playing on her IPod. She was on a high – a thrilling almost euphoric feeling coming upon her. In these 15 minutes she wasn't the person _**he**_ said she was – she wasn't unattractive, unappealing and unaffectionate; she wasn't '**Cold'**. For now, she was everything she wanted to be, anyplace her imagination could take her. She was an expert on dating; she had a passionate dating life with a wonderful man that loved her unconditionally. She knew the love of a man who cherished and valued her above anything. She was complete, whole; she was not in any way damaged.

The 15 minutes were over much too soon.

XXXXXX

When you work at a magazine, it was generally understood that you could judge the success of an article based on what the employees of the magazine read at their desks. Their loyalty and patronage to the magazine as a whole was a foregone conclusion but the articles inside were chosen exclusively based on personal taste. So when most of the employees were either observed reading or talking about the RAWW article, it was clear that it was the highlight of the entire edition. Fitz and Olivia could barely walk anywhere in the office without someone congratulating them or wishing them well.

The public obviously like it too. By Friday morning, the magazine social media pages contained various comments on the article and the writers themselves. People wanted to know who they were, what they looked like, what they did in their personal time. Speculation abounded and whiffs of rumors were starting but Cyrus took all the publicity – negative or positive – as a plus. As long as people were talking about the article and it's writers he was happy.

By Friday evening, Fitz and Olivia were exhausted. They both felt that Cyrus was draining every bit of life from them – challenging and pushing them to come up with more ideas that could engage the public. He was never satisfied, always wanted more. He said the moment they stopped trying to improve on perfection, their competition would spring up and take their market share. They knew he was right and that motivated them to keep trying, but his ideas never failed to leave them drained.

"Are you going tonight?" Fitz asked from her office doorway. It was Quinn's birthday and she was having a party at a new lounge opened two blocks from the office. Her boyfriend knew the owner and had gotten him to agree to shut it down for the private party. Quinn was excited; she had reminded the entire floor over and over again to come. Olivia didn't want to let her down.

"I'm tired but I'm going. I don't want to disappoint Quinn. Besides for some reason, my sister wants to come and meet some of my co-workers. Are you going?"

"Yes. Quinn cornered me in the break room and made me promise to come. So, I'm coming."

She wanted to ask him if he was bringing Mellie but she didn't. It had turned into a sore subject that neither of them dared talk about. She didn't know why it had proven to be so sensitive for her; she should have been more supportive of their relationship. But she didn't like Mellie and she knew that even if she tried to be positive, it would come off disingenuous.

"Ok well I'm going home to change first then I will see you there."

"Alright, sounds good," Fitz lingered and he wanted to say more. He wanted to be in her company; to bring her to the party but he knew he could not. He didn't tell Mellie about the party and did not invite her but he still knew it was a strong possibility that she would show up anyway. He thought the infatuation he had for Olivia would wear off and they would settle into a comfortable friendly relationship but it didn't happen that way. He was becoming more and more attracted to her every day and he worried what affect a personal relationship would have on them professionally. They had just started the magazine article and he couldn't, he wouldn't wreck it. He would not allow his personal feelings to damage her career.

She was giving him a concerned look, wondering why he was still standing there. He cleared his throat and said, "I'll see you later."

XXXXXX

"Olivia this is Jake…Jake Ballard. He owns the lounge," Quinn said as she introduced the two people. She thought they would make a great couple and became excited to see that from their smiles there was obviously some attraction between the two. She excused herself to look for her boyfriend Jesse.

"Nice to meet you Jake," Olivia said as she shook his hand. Olivia thought he was handsome. He had a youthful face – happy and charming.

"Nice to meet you as well Olivia," his smile was genuine, warm and inviting. _Don't mess this up_, Olivia told herself. He invited her to sit with him at the bar and she accepted. It was an easy conversation of her asking about his background and why he chose to open the lounge. He was open with his answers, never giving her the feeling that he was hiding something or withholding information. She found herself getting comfortable in his presence – attentive to the conversation and laughing, not putting on an act, no pretenses, but really enjoying his company.

"Jake," Jesse, Quinn's boyfriend, came and patted him on the back. "I'm sorry for interrupting but I think it's time for the cake."

"Oh yeah of course. Excuse me Liv. I'll be right back…will you wait for me here?" he asked.

"Yes….Yes I'll be here," Olivia responded as she smiled into her drink. She didn't want to rush things but she was starting to feel some type of connection between her and Jake. She hated this part of dating. She hated trying to figure out if someone liked her; whether she laughed at the right points in the conversation; whether she was being too clingy or too standoffish; whether her makeup was still right or whether something was stuck in teeth. Admittedly, she had a tendency to doom relationships before they even started. She was always guarded, never allowing herself to let go, to relax and let everything evolve organically. She walked around waiting for the worse to happen; waiting for the day when they would lose interest in her. She was an expert at sabotage and that was no way to have a relationship with anyone. She needed to stop it and she vowed right then that whatever did or did not happen with Jake, she would just have fun. It was great advice; something like what she would tell a reader. After all, she was very good at giving advice to every other person on the planet except herself.

The cake came out and everyone sung Happy Birthday to Quinn. After she blew out the candles, Jesse came up to her and kissed her cheek. Everyone cheered in congratulations, and then Jesse said, "I want to thank everyone – family and friends – for coming out tonight. I love this girl with everything I have. She means the world to me and I only thought it would be appropriate to show my love in front of everyone who means anything to her…" he turned to Quinn and got down on one knee, "Quinn, sweetheart, I love you more than my own life. You make me happy every single day and I'm so proud that you have allowed me to share this life with you. But I can't get enough…I need to be with you forever. So will you agree to stay with me forever? Will you marry me?"

Everyone was quiet, holding their breaths, waiting for the answer. Quinn was crying, speechless, probably for the first time in her life. She smiled as she looked down at him; looking at the beautiful ring contained in the box he held in his hand. "Yes…oh God…Yes, Jesse!" she screamed and he grabbed her in his arms and swung her around in unabashed joy. The room broke out in a roar of excitement as Jesse placed the ring on her ringer and well-wishers clamored upon them.

_**Meanwhile in a closet….**_

"This is crazy right?" Alexis said into his ear between gasps as he trailed kisses down her neck. "I've never been attracted to someone like this before."

"I know me too…But I can't get you out of my head. I can't stop thinking about you. Tell me you feel the same…tell me," Harrison pleaded.

"I do...I feel it too…take me home with you," she said confidently. He pulled back and looked in her eyes trying to judge if she was serious. She bestowed him with a full smile and he knew that he had to get her out of there right now.

_**Back at the Party….**_

The party was winding down; many people had already left for the evening. Jake had been closed up in his office on an important phone call but not before he made sure he exchanged phone numbers with Olivia.

Only slow songs were now being played by the DJ. The small dance floor was filled with lovers and drunk companions getting felt up. Olivia had received a message from her sister saying that she had to leave unexpectedly and would call her in the morning. Olivia had drunk enough, talked to enough people and now felt that she should be heading home too.

"You're not leaving are you?" Fitz asked.

She turned around and smiled at him. She hadn't spoken to him all night; she missed his company.

"I'll stay if you are," Olivia said. He smiled back at her.

"Good, then dance with me," when she nodded he led her to the dance floor.

Olivia had danced with men before. She had been held by men before. But being held by him; dancing with him was something that surpassed every feeling she had ever known. It was not only the closeness but it was the protection she felt; the warmth of him; the strength in his arms. As she laid her head on his shoulder allowing him to guide their moves, she felt it. Her heart rate sped up and her blood was pulsating; her head was swimming with the truth….she was falling in love with him. She had tried to avoid the issue, tried to deny it but it was there – growing, flourishing, and thriving just beneath the surface. Tears were stinging her eyes as she chanted over and over in her head, willing herself not to cry. There was sadness at the admission because for the first time in 2 years she was in love with a man that was not hers to love.

Fitz' couldn't contain himself. He had to get to her; he had to touch her. She looked so beautiful tonight and if he could selfishly claim her time, for however brief a period, he convinced himself he would be satisfied. But it was not true. He kept himself away from her all night, trying to occupy himself talking to different people but nothing would satisfy the desire he had for her. Every moment in her presence made him wish for another and another. He was insatiable. And now when she was in his arms, nothing on earth felt as right. It was natural and true; it needed to happen. The song ended but he didn't want to let her go; he held her until the last possible second.

Another song started and he almost kept her in his arms until….

"Do you mind if I cut in?" Mellie's voice cut through.

Fitz and Olivia looked at each other. Olivia spoke up first, smiling she said, "Of course, he's all yours Mellie."

"Liv," Fitz said, attempting to protest.

"I'm tired and going home. I'll see you on Monday Fitz. Have a great evening both of you," Olivia tried to sound calm, unbothered, nonchalant but the crack in her voice betrayed the emotions she tried to hide. She smiled harder to mask her disappointment.

Mellie's voice was like a siren, like a glass of cold water splashed on Olivia's face. It made her wake up and brought her back to reality. There was no way she could ever be with Fitz; Mellie had her claws in him fiercely and from the way things appeared, he wasn't looking to break off their relationship anytime soon. Besides, a personal, romantic relationship could ruin them professionally and that was a risk neither one of them could afford to take.

Olivia was skilled at hiding her heart. She had done it many times before and she could do it again. Sacrifice, pain, regret and disappointment had become a part of her life for so long; she really didn't know how to live without them. She didn't know what it meant to be happy with someone. She didn't know how it felt. The old cliché, 'You can't miss what you never had' seemed appropriate. She shouldn't miss love because she never had it in the first place.

Still, as hard as she tried not to care about it, to pretend she didn't need it, when she saw his face, his laugh and the way he looked at her she wondered if it was possible. Could he feel for her the way she was starting to feel for him?

The ringing of her cell phone cleared her thoughts and the car system told her that the caller was Jake Ballard. She smiled as she took the call, thankful for the welcome distraction.


	5. Dating Rule: Give Her Butterflies

Dating Rule: Give Her Butterflies

She wasn't playing fair. It was a dangerous game but when Olivia considered the pleasure she would derive from it, she couldn't quite seem to wipe the mischievous look off of her face. Undeniably, no one would describe her as audacious or intrepid, but it didn't matter because she certainly felt that way tonight. She would look great. Every woman should have at least one 'freakum' dress – the dress you pull out when you wanted to feel absolutely, unreservedly sexy; the one you were sure would turn every male head in sight and illicit drooling compliments the entire night. Olivia went to the back of her closet and retrieved the one dress she knew would be perfect for the event. It was the dress she had in mind to wear as soon as she agreed to attend the movie premier.

It was a silver, sequin mini dress, with bell sleeves and a wide open back. It accented all the right female body parts - her lovely legs, her curvy ass, her creamy, smooth back and a cinched belt to emphasize her tiny waist. She had her stylist pull her hair up on the top of her head in a bun. And her finishing touch were the 5 ½ heels that made her legs seem to go on for days. When Olivia looked the final product in the mirror she was impressed. She couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach anxiously waiting for the look on his face when he saw her. It would be worth the time and effort she put into making sure she looked flawless.

Olivia had the tendency to talk herself out of what she wanted, confining herself to the self-imposed ascetic lifestyle of a perfectionist. Denial, doubt, disappointment – her constant bedfellows and most likely the reason she was still alone. But she wanted him; she wanted Fitz' heart. Over the past week, since Quinn's birthday party, she tried to dismiss her feelings; allowing Jake to dote on her with frequent phone conversations and repeated date requests. She put him off claiming that she was too busy with work. She wanted to like Jake; he seemed like a nice guy – attractive, successful and attentive to her – but every time she tried to open the door, Fitz' face would appear in her mind's eye. And she wondered if a relationship with Jake would always be, in her opinion, second best.

She was more excited about this event then she let on. Eager to be with him at a social occasion, where they weren't burdened with a heavy workload or constantly trying to brainstorm on new and exciting ideas to please their boss. They could just relax and enjoy each other's company. She knew that it was highly possible that Fitz only wanted to be friends with her and she repeatedly told herself that she could be content being confined to the 'friend-zone', although it was becoming less and less likely.

"Are you the Devil?" Fitz asked as he got a good look at her dress. His brother, Tommy, accompanied him into Olivia's home, anxious to meet this woman that Fitz constantly talked about. Tommy now understood his brother's fascination with Olivia; she was gorgeous. Tommy couldn't help but laugh at his brother's reaction; he was actually thinking the same thing.

"You're staring at me," Olivia said smiling as she purposely kept looking out the car window, instead of at him. She, Fitz and Tommy sat in the back of the limo on the way to the after party. Tommy was on the phone the entire time but Olivia tuned out his conversation. She underestimated the affect of her dress, his dapper looks and a dark movie theater would have on her. She uncontrollably aroused. She couldn't recall what the movie was about and barely remembered his brother in the film. She hoped he wouldn't ask her about it.

Now sitting across from him, under his penetrating gaze, she was unnerved. She couldn't look at him for fear the obvious attraction she felt would be blaringly evident. This was an unfamiliar path for her; the desire for him was different from anything she ever felt before. She never wanted a man like she wanted him; it was exciting and fearful. He gave her butterflies.

"Wasn't that the purpose of the dress?" he said chuckling.

"Possibly," she shrugged and continued smiling; still refusing to look his way.

Olivia never felt so beautiful as when she was in his presence. He had the ability to make her feel amazing just by one look. With him, she never lacked confidence or felt insecure. And his flattering comments didn't leave her feeling cheap or put upon; it was always what she needed to brighten her day and make her lift her head just a little bit higher. She had lost that feeling for a while and unbeknownst to him, he was helping her regain it.

Fitz couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She mesmerized him. It seemed like his brother suffered from the same affliction because, earlier, on the way to the screening he bluntly asked, "You sure there's nothing going on between you two…..because if not, maybe you'll let me take you out Liv. I'll be in town for the next week and I'm free next Friday, maybe we could have a little dinner, go back to my place…." He gave her a smile that mirrored Fitz' but it was not as warm or as genuine.

Olivia laughed out loud. "Oh my god, does that line really work on women? Do they fall for that? You've got to be kidding me….." she reached over and patted his knee like a little child being chastised. "Thank you Tommy but no thank you….I am not interested in being just another girl you've screwed around with. You're cute…but not that cute."

Fitz laughed at the put down and Tommy feigned offense at the statement, "I can't believe she called me cute. I don't think any woman has ever put me down like that." He had to laugh himself. "I like you Liv, I really do."

All through-out the film screening, and now on the way to the after party, Fitz couldn't stop staring at her legs. He knew he seriously could not hold an intelligent conversation with anyone about what his brother said or did in the film. Her legs were amazing - caramel, bronze skin that appeared so soft and in desperate need of his touch. His hands itched to touch her and he almost felt like he needed to sit on them just to maintain self-control. Her dress hiked up even further when she sat down, exposing almost her entire thigh and he just wanted one time to caress her leg and maybe allow his hand to travel farther up…._Dammit_.

Olivia's gasp turned his attention. She observed the sea of people standing behind the iron barricades, screaming for celebrities as they exited vehicles. It was just as large as the group that gathered for the premier. But this time they would have to successfully navigate their way through the crowd instead of going around to an entrance where they wouldn't be observed. Their driver was just pulling up and about to let them out. She turned to look at Fitz, "I didn't expect all this…"

Fitz forced his attention to look out the window and smiled, "This is pretty tame considering the film…It can get a lot crazier than this actually." He looked back at her, "Don't worry beautiful, you'll be fine."

Although she always worked in Los Angeles, she tended to stay away from any media attention; she loved her privacy and didn't prefer the limelight of fame and recognition. So, even when she was invited, she never attended events like these, unless they were related solely to the magazine she worked for.

When he asked her to go to his brother's premier she mistakenly believed that they would be watching his film and showing their support through applause and random comments with other audience members. After all, his brother didn't have a starring role. He was part of the supporting cast. However, what made him different was the 'Grant' name. Thomas Grant was in a film published by his family's company MGM and that connection propelled him front and center. Now they wanted him for pictures and interviews along with the rest of the cast.

The car pulled up and Olivia could already hear the cameras flashing and the noise of reporters and photographers. "Showtime…" Tommy said as he jumped out the vehicle first and waived to the crowd who shouted his name in return. He then turned around and assisted Olivia out of the vehicle and she was closely followed by Fitz. Tommy continued to walk through the crowd stopping for photo ops and addressing random questions. His publicist appeared and guided him through people vying for his attention.

Fitz kept his arm protectively around Olivia's waist as they followed behind Tommy at a safe distance, careful enough not to get in anyone's way or get caught in a picture.

Fitz could feel her tensing up in his arms and leaned down to kiss her cheek, he whispered, "We're almost done." She smiled up at him in return.

Suddenly a microphone was thrust in his face. "Aren't you Tommy's brother, Fitzgerald Grant? You're a writer at City Magazine right?" the reporter asked.

Fitz quickly recovered. His family background had forced him to become accustomed to unwelcome publicity. "Yes I am and I do." When Olivia tried to step away to allow him to be interviewed alone, he tightened his grip on her waist. She stayed next to him and smiled, hoping that she wouldn't get caught in the photos.

"So what did you think of the movie?"

"It was great. I'm very proud of my brother. He is a great actor; a great person."

"And this beautiful lady with you, who is she?"

Fitz looked down at her adoringly then turned and addressed the reporter. "This is Olivia Pope."

The reporter's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ms. Pope you're also a writer for City Magazine…in fact don't you two write the dating article Right and Wrong Way."

Olivia smiled, encouraged that someone recognized their work. "Yes we do," she answered.

"Your article is hot; we are all big fans of it…So tell me are you two an actual couple because you look great together."

Fitz and Olivia looked at each other and laughed. Olivia spoke up, "No we are just good friends."

"Well let's get some shots of you two," the reporter stepped back and instructed her photographer to take some photos. Fitz and Olivia posed for the cameras and before long other photographers were coming over and directing them to pose for more shots. Fitz would point Olivia in the direction of the photographer calling out for their picture and as if on cue she would lean into him and pose. She was a natural. Olivia should have been nervous from all the attention but with Fitz as her support and anchor, she basked in the limelight.

XXXXXX

"Here, it looks like you need this," Fitz said as he handed her a drink at the open bar.

Olivia thankfully accepted it. "Yes, I do. Thanks." She downed the shot of Patron quickly and grimaced at the strong taste.

"Whoa, slow down. I meant for you to sip it to calm your nerves," Fitz said as he chuckled at her eagerness to take the edge off.

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Can I get another please?"

"Here take mine," he said and gave her his drink.

"Hey, I'm sorry you have to stick to my side all night…I know this is your family's business so please go socialize. I'm fine right here," Olivia said suddenly realizing that she was monopolizing his time all evening. She felt bad, thinking that she was holding him back from really enjoying himself. Every now and again, a photographer would appear and take a photo of them together and she considered that it might not be such a good idea for him only to be seen with her the entire night.

He laughed. "Are you kidding? I am not leaving your side…Have you seen you in this dress? And all the men ogling you this evening. I'll be happy to get out of here without getting into a fight with someone over you….Besides, I'm standing next to sexiest woman in the room, where else would I want to be?"

"Be careful, Mr. Grant, flattery will get you everywhere," she teased. _Where did that come from Olivia? Are you flirting with him? _

"I'm hoping so Ms. Pope….believe me, I'm hoping so," he said as he looked intently at her.

He could make her blush at almost anything he said. The sexual tension was getting thick and she didn't know if it was just her or if she was misreading the signs. Was he just making light of the situation or was he really sexually attracted to her? She couldn't believe that the writer, and so-called expert, on dating couldn't tell whether a man really wanted her or not. She would be the first to admit that when it came to her own heart, all the expertise flew out the window. She wasn't sure and honestly, she was a bit afraid to find out. It was best to change the subject.

"So why don't you like this kind of thing; I mean it's what your family does…it's who you are…I would have thought you would have been more involved in the business."

He thought reflectively and said, "I'll show you…see that guy over there talking to that girl?"

Olivia followed his line of sight and saw a young girl, dressed seductively – _all tits and ass_, she thought - and allowing an old gray haired man whisper in her ear. Normally, she knew the girl would not have been attracted to the man but she was allowing him to openly flirt with her, a prelude to something that was sure to follow after.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, he's promising her that she could be a star and the only condition is that she needs to let him take her home and sleep with him."

"Fitz I've lived in LA all my life, I know what goes on behind the scenes. That kind of thing happens all the time. But it doesn't have to happen if she doesn't let it. She's making a choice…..It's just the way life goes."

"Yes but that's just it…It's an industry that condones that and even encourages taking advantage of young men and women looking for their chance at fame and stardom. More and more, it's not about talent; it's about who you can sleep with and sell your soul to. Every day, countless number of people get off a bus, innocently coming from some town in the mid-west, searching for the opportunity to be in the spotlight and thinking that they can get it if they come to LA. The number of people who end up prostituting themselves, homeless, or strung out on drugs just because they came to LA on a pipe dream is too much. This industry has become horrible. It has become a method for lecherous old men and women to take advantage of vulnerable people."

She couldn't take her eyes away from him, pleasantly surprised to hear him speak with such conviction.

"What?"

"Nothing…I've just never heard you speak so passionately about anything…So you're not just a rich boy with a pretty face," she joked.

"Um, no….that would be my brother Tommy," Fitz said smiling.

"But really Fitz, the industry isn't all bad. It serves a purpose; it entertains the world. It creates a fantasy for people to believe in; its escapism. And people need it these days. Besides, there is some good that come out of it in the form of charities and scholarships."

"That's true, but when you are so close to it like my family is, it's hard to see the good when it's easily drowned out by all the bad….I've just seen some things…things I shouldn't have; that no one should have seen…..and I just don't like it," he didn't finish his thought but Olivia could tell that he was quietly reliving an unpleasant memory that saddened him. She instinctively touched his hand as a show of comfort.

"I believe you…and I've reconsidered my career as an actress," she joked to lighten his mood. Now he was smiling again.

"I'm glad because I'm not letting you go."

"Well," she started as she stood up from the high chair and adjusted her dress, "you'll have to let me go momentarily while I go to the ladies room." She laughed as she walked away.

He watched her walk away; awestruck by the sway of her hips and the lovely legs that carried her across the room. He loved watching her backside and in that dress with the open back that exposed her soft caramel skin, he literally could not keep his hands off of her. Days ago, he had resolved to get over his infatuation, viewing the attraction as unprofessional. Now he couldn't resist her and was willing to risk everything to be with her.

"Fitzgerald Grant, isn't it?"

Fitz turned to find a man extending his hand in greeting. Fitz took it and asked, "Yes and you are?"

"Edison, Edison Davis…I thought that was you. I spotted you from across the room. We have never formally met but I know your family of course and your brother's work was just great in the movie. My wife and I were just over there congratulating your brother."

"Nice to meet you and thanks….Not to be rude but who are you?" Fitz said more bluntly than he normally spoke to people but something about the man gave him a weird feeling; like he should put himself on guard.

Edison laughed. "Oh I'm sorry…I'm nobody, just another LA plastic surgeon but my wife, Amber is a model…she was an extra in the movie, an aspiring actress of sorts. You should really meet her. She's making her rounds now but she will be over pretty soon."

Fitz didn't return the smile, he just looked at Edison, still trying to figure out why he was speaking to him.

Edison continued, "Anyway…I saw you talking to an old friend of mine and I couldn't leave without saying hello to her."

Fitz opened his mouth to speak but just then Olivia walked up and said, "Hello Edison, what are you doing here?"

Fitz observed the exchange and could easily tell Olivia did not like Edison, in fact the fire in her eyes bordered on hatred. Everything about her body language indicated that she was on defense and Fitz' protective instincts kicked in. He moved closer to Olivia until their arms were touching.

"Hello Olivia, it's been a long time. It's good to see you. You look amazing in that dress. I've really missed you." The lecherous look he gave her was enough to make her skin crawl. It was like she as naked; openly exposed to his judgment and ridicule. She couldn't believe that once upon a time she thought herself to be in love with him. Now, she could barely stomach the sight of him.

Fitz placed his hand on her back. And his touch was like magic; it instantly calmed her. She looked at him, thankful to have him by her side. She smiled sweetly to him and said, "Fitz, I'm ready to go now, thank you." Fitz nodded his head and they both walked away without another word to Edison.

XXXXXX

She hadn't said two words since they got into the car. She just sat in the corner with her face turned toward the window, gazing out into the night. Fitz had an overpowering need to take care of her; he wanted to gather her into his arms and bring her comfort but he knew it wasn't his place and she might just reject him. There was unmistakable pain in her eyes; a deep pain caused by years of unresolved anguish, regret and sorrow. Whoever this guy was, he hurt her so deeply that the mere sight of him sent her retreating into a shell. She was putting up a wall to defend herself, from what he did not know but he hoped she would trust him enough to let him in.

When the car pulled up at her home, she thanked Fitz for the evening and moved closer to the door, about to exit the vehicle but he stopped her. "Liv I can't leave you like this…I'll send the car back to the party for my brother…I'm coming in with you."

His kindness made her want to unleash the flow of tears that she had been holding in the entire night. She had barely been able to hold herself together. She refused to let Edison see her weak; she would not give him the satisfaction of allowing him to see the effect he had on her. But now while she was alone with Fitz, she could feel the weight of it all crashing against her. The memories she had repressed were flooding back and she tried to stamp them back down before they took over. She couldn't continue to maintain the façade of strength. She didn't like being like this - feeling sorry for herself, emotionally spent and susceptible to crippling thoughts. She definitely didn't want Fitz to see her like this; she needed to be alone. She shook her head, "No Fitz, I'll be okay. I just need to rest." She never met his eyes but kept her gaze downcast.

He took her chin in his hand and gently raised her face. He needed to look in her eyes. "Liv, I'm staying," and as one lone tear fell, she nodded in agreement, secretly thankful for his company and the comfort that she knew he could give.

XXXXXX

"Tell me about the first time you fell in love?" Olivia asked as she reached for her wine glass and settled back on the couch next to Fitz. Olivia had asked Fitz to wait until she changed into more comfortable clothing. She needed the time, not only to change but to gather herself together. She didn't want to be crying all over him all night. She wanted to be able to have an intelligent conversation with him, without all the angst that could come along with it. When she finally emerged, her emotions had calmed down and she could now detach herself from the past that he no doubt would ask about. She felt like she could speak about it as if it happened to someone else; like it didn't touch her at all.

It was 1AM and they had to be at work within the next 7 hours but neither was willing to end the evening. They were content to sit in each other's company, talking about anything and everything; they needed to know each other on a deeper level. It wasn't about their working relationship anymore it was about them as people – who they were at their core; what they were deep inside. What did they like, dislike; what made them happy, sad; their search for love in the past and how they wanted to find it in the future.

"I can answer that question for you if you explain to me what love looks like…what does it feel like?" he asked honestly.

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. She didn't know if he was joking or being completely honest. "Don't tell me you have never been in or thought you were in love."

He shrugged. "I have been in relationships with women. I've cared about them. I've done what I could to make them happy and I enjoyed being in their company, but I've never had a feeling that I couldn't live without someone. When the relationships were over….they were just over….I've never missed anyone…I've never felt like I wanted any of them back," he saw the look on her face and wanted to explain himself, "I'm not saying I used women. I don't do that. When I'm in a relationship with someone…I'm in that relationship…I'm just saying I've never met a woman that made me miss her when she was away or wanted to talk to her all the time or just look at her. I haven't seen that…I don't even know if it exists."

She now understood his cold relationship with Mellie; there was no love between them, at least not on his part. What struck her was his jaded view of finding love in the future. "You think it doesn't."

"I don't know. Maybe it's unreasonable to think that your whole life can be wrapped up in another person. Maybe we are just meant to find moments of happiness wherever we can find it and looking for that one person that can give it to you all the time is unrealistic."

"Mmmmm," was all she said as she continued staring at him.

"What? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that you're full of shit," she said and she smiled at him.

He laughed. "I can't believe you just took a heartfelt moment where I spilled my guts out to you and turned it into an insult….That hurts Liv, it really does," he put his hand to his heart pretending to be mortally wounded.

"Fitz you write for a dating column, trying to help people find love and happiness everyday and you're trying to give me this cynical speech about not knowing if it exists or not….Please…you know what love is or at the very least you know what it is not. You know that you haven't found it yet and you're looking for it. Maybe not actively looking but you're searching."

He smiled back at her. He was searching for it. He thought back to the night of Quinn's party and the intense jealousy he felt at seeing her with Jake and the anger he felt when Mellie interrupted them. He knew Jake was trying to date her and realized that if he didn't do something about it quickly he could lose her. He ended it with Mellie that night; the memory of the horrible break up fight almost made him cringe but he brought his thoughts back to the present…to Olivia.

"Alright then you tell me, when were you in love, was it with that guy Edison?"

She instantly sobered. The smile dropped from her face and her eyes watered. He wanted to kick himself for asking about it. Maybe it was too soon for her to talk about it. Maybe she didn't want to talk about it with him at all.

"Yes, I thought I was," she whispered.

He remained quiet, willing to wait for however long she needed. He really wanted to know what happened that made her so sad.

"He was my first. We grew up in the same neighborhood and everyone just knew we were made for each other. His parents loved me and my father loved him. Even my aunt liked him and if you ever met my aunt you would know that means something," she smiled.

"We dated during high school, prom, graduation – everything. We went to different colleges but we still dated. He would visit me; I would visit him. We were never apart for very long. I knew that one day we would get married. We had talked about it when we were little but never seriously and definitely not while we were adults. We both were career-driven and knew we would not settle down until we had established ourselves. But I just knew that one day he would ask me. And he did. It was 3 years ago, he bought a ring, got down on one knee, all that. I instantly said yes. He was really all I knew. It was like I didn't really know my life apart from him. You know what I mean? You're with someone for so long that it becomes just a matter of fact that you will stay together.

"Anyway, we moved in together; started trying to plan our lives. We had a road map; in this many years we would buy our first house; in this many years we would have our first child; then wait this many years and have another and on and on and on. I was fine with it all. Was I deliriously happy? No. But, I was content and I knew we could have a good life together. Then one night I had to work late and when I got home I could tell something was off; the apartment felt different, smelled different. I didn't know what it was. Then I heard the noises coming from my bedroom. I heard him and her. I went in and saw him with another woman in my bed; our bed. I don't remember but I must have gasped or made some type of noise because they looked over at me. She at least had the decency to look embarrassed but he….he just laughed. She tried to move off the bed but he wouldn't let her. He just kept staring at me as if it was something I should have accepted or been used to. I turned around and left. I didn't cry…I didn't get upset. I just picked up my purse and left." Amazingly, she was able to recall the event as if it didn't happen to her; she was disconnected from it, at least momentarily.

"The next day I came back when I knew he was at work. I got all my things from the apartment and moved out. At first I didn't tell anyone why I had called off the engagement. I didn't want to talk about it. I just wanted it to all go away and be over. But one day, he came to my father's house, trying to talk to me. It caught me off guard but I was expecting him to beg my forgiveness, something like that but he didn't. As it turns out, him cheating was all my fault. I had become unaffectionate, unloving and just cold. He said he didn't know if I had it in me to love a man the way he should be loved because I was too distant and reserved. It wasn't his fault; he had tried to love me all these years but he now knew the love of a real woman and it felt good to be with someone like her. He told me that I needed to change or I would end up alone. But he was willing to give me a second chance if I could prove to him that I could be more…loving. It was laughable. Of course, I refused to see him again but it affected me more than I cared to admit it at the time."

"Liv you have to know that he was an asshole."

"Agreed. But when you've been with someone most of your life, their opinion of you matters. If he was the only person I had ever been with and he thought all those things about me then maybe it was true, at least partly. Maybe that's who I am….."

"You're not that person Liv."

She chuckled. "You don't know that Fitz. We've known each other for what? A little over a month? We don't know each other that well. You don't really know me."

"Maybe not as well as I would like but what I have seen is nothing like the woman he described…nothing Liv. Listen to me, men mess with women's minds all the time. It's usually done to justify their own bad actions."

He smiled before continuing, "I'm revealing some trade secrets and I could get my man's club card revoked for this but here goes…..Men get off on messing with women's minds; they make women believe what they want them to. It's a method to get control, the upper hand, over the relationship. If he could make you believe he had no other choice but to cheat on you because you were so cold or didn't give him none in week or whatever, then he gets to feel better about himself. He's no longer the cheater but the victim and it's now about you being unfeeling or not giving him enough love. Men play that game all the time and it amazes me when women like you, who have everything going for them – beauty, charm, intelligence – fall for it."

She silently reflected on what he said. Of course, it was something she already knew but her heart still refused to let her be free of the influence Edison's words had on her. She still doubted herself; doubted whether she could attract, hold on to and truly, deeply love a man.

"It's just sad…sad that the memories of what's said and done…they never die….they just fill your head with why's and why not's," she said reflectively. She felt better; felt like she unloaded years of repressed heartache on him. But she hadn't considered how it would make him feel. "I'm sorry Fitz, I've gone on and on about my problems and ruined your whole evening; I shouldn't have unloaded on you like that…I don't like 'pity parties' and I usually don't tell people about my personal woes," she tried to give him a smile of reassurance but it was shaky at best.

In one evening, she had broken a countless number of her dating rules. If someone had wrote in about this exact scenario, she wouldn't fail to unleash heavy criticism on her for being so stupid. Men don't want to hear about all the baggage of failed relationships; it's dating suicide, the quickest way to end a relationship before it even started. She took a gulp of the last part of her wine and prepared herself to hear some lame excuse for his quick exit.

"Stop it, don't apologize. I wanted to know what happened and I'm thankful that you trusted me enough to tell me….Liv, I know I haven't known you as long as this Edison guy but what I've seen is a beautiful, caring, loving woman. You are sexy as hell and I refuse to believe that you are anything but an even more passionate woman. Nothing is wrong with you. He was the failure. Haven't you ever considered that **he** was the problem?...Maybe it wasn't you being cold but him unable to make you desire him like a woman should desire a man."

His words brought silence from both of them. That word - desire - they both felt it, from the moment they first met but all sorts of reasons were given to force them not to act on it. But now, no one could seem to recall one single reason, not one excuse, good enough to make them forget what they felt.

He stared into her eyes…pools of warm brown cinnamon, holding him spellbound with dancing flecks of honey light. He was unable to move, unable to speak and unable to walk away. He watched for any sign of rejection or hesitation and he saw none. All he saw was her welcoming him; willing to allow him in her heart.

They wouldn't recall who moved in first and it wouldn't be about who took the final step to bring their lips closer. What would matter; what would forever be recalled was the sensation of their first kiss and the feeling of love that came with it. The power they felt when their lips touched and the gentleness that followed. Both reticent, unwilling to push the other past the point of comfort; unsure of each other; wanting more but daring to find out what they could take.

When Olivia deepened the kiss, allowing him to taste her, Fitz instinctively brought his hand up and to caress the back of her neck. He had to keep her there with him; he couldn't let this be a fantasy, dream or cruel trick of fate. As long as he could touch her, hold her and feel her – it was real, what they felt was real. Olivia's heart was hammering and there was a rushing sound in her ears; it was like angels beating their wings, fluttering in the night sky. She wanted to bring him closer to her; to mold his body closer to hers. She knew it would feel almost heavenly to lay with him and inching closer, she almost thought it was possible, almost until…

Josie….

Josie yelped and barked as their closing bodies threatened to squish her tiny frame on the couch. She jumped down and sauntered off to her bed, obviously perturbed by their lack of consideration to her being there.

Olivia and Fitz pulled apart and laughed. They did forget Josie was there. Fitz rested his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes, reliving the intense moment they shared – she had truly never felt this way for a man before. She never desired anyone like this.

"Livvy, are you ok?"

She smiled. "No one has called me that since I was a child."

"Good then it's only reserved for me." He liked the fact that he had a name for her that no one else would claim.

"Fitz, this is wrong…" she breathed as reasonable thought began to return.

"Why is it wrong?"

"Because you are with someone else and I won't be the other woman and I won't be the reason behind your break up. Whatever it is between you and Mellie has to be resolved on its own. It should have nothing to do with me."

They moved away from each other. "I broke it off with Mellie," he said resolutely.

"When? Why?" she asked genuinely surprised, stifling any measure of happiness she felt inside. From what she knew of Mellie, she didn't appear to be a woman who would go away quietly.

"After Quinn's party….It wasn't going to work, I didn't love her and I knew…I knew that I needed to break it off with her if I had any chance of being with you…Jake was pushing in too fast."

She smiled at him. She hadn't realized that he knew about Jake. It made her feel good to know that he was jealous.

"Jake has called and he has asked me out but I can't seem to say yes to him…every time I try to, I only see….you," she admitted. He smiled at the assurance that she felt as much for him as he did for her.

"But," she cautioned, "I think we are moving too fast. You just broke it off with Mellie and you need time from that relationship before jumping into another."

"Livvy, I don't need…"

"Please Fitz, for me…Before we start this I just need to be sure that it's just me and you, nothing else…no one else...not to mention how this will affect us at work. Can we just go slow and see where things take us?"

He raised an eyebrow, his mind immediately rejecting the suggestion but the look of panic on her face made him accept it. He had no idea what 'go slow' meant. They were already moving at a turtle's pace. How much slower could they go? He had a feeling he was about to find out and whatever she had in mind, he wouldn't like it.

XXXXXX

By the following day, it was clear that Fitz and Olivia were on two different pages when it came to 'going slow' in their relationship – Olivia wanted to completely ignore their attraction, while Fitz, although willing to be subtle in his affections, did not.

"Why are you pretending like nothing is between us?" Fitz asked in frustration. He had been trying to speak to her alone all day and she kept dodging him. She had Cyrus send her out to speak to sponsors for the magazine; which was clearly not in her job description. She stayed away most of the day and he was sure by her cool attitude that she had arranged it on purpose.

"I'm not Fitz. I'm just trying to maintain a professional relationship. I don't need to be the subject of office gossip and neither do you. Already, that Amanda Tanner girl has been watching me like a hawk, no doubt trying to spy for Mellie," she said as she tried to gather the paperwork on her desk for a last minute meeting with Cyrus. She sighed and concluded, "Look I just think we need to maintain some distance; the attraction is there, it's undeniable but I refuse to feed the rumor mill with whispers about my latest fling."

"A fling? Is that what you think we are…some type of fling?" he was hurt by the low opinion she had of their relationship and obviously of him.

She looked up and realized what she said out loud and how she hurt him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way..I'm sorry."

"Livvy, I'm not trying to jump you in the copy room or anything but you draw more attention to our situation by refusing to look me in the eye or even say hello. You're the one acting different; I'm not."

Quinn knocked on her door and peeped her head in, "Cyrus is ready for you guys," she smiled and left quickly, sensing the tension in the room.

"Come on Fitz, let's go, Cyrus is waiting for us," in truth she was relieved to have the diversion. She didn't want to talk about their relationship in the office. She really didn't want to talk about it at all.

XXXXXX

"So what do you think?" Liv asked Abby in the kitchen as she helped her fill desert bowls sorbet and mint.

"Wait where's the apple pie you promised me?" Olivia had bribed Abby with homemade apple pie to get her to come this evening. She needed her opinion of Alexis' boyfriend Chris.

"I didn't have time to make it…I'm sorry….I'll make it another time…now tell me what do you think? Something is off right?"

Abby rolled her eyes, looking at the sorbet and feeling thoroughly unsatisfied. She sighed and said, "Yes there is something wrong with him…he's gay or bi or whatever…but he goes both ways."

"What?No...that can't be it," Olivia said.

"Can't be what?" Fitz asked as he came in the kitchen with dishes from the guests to put in the sink.

"Abby think's Chris is gay or bi-sexual..she's crazy right?"

Fitz smiled at her and said, "She's right, he is." He laughed at Olivia's shocked face.

"How do you know? You could be mistaken…you thought David was gay."

Abby was appalled, "Wait my David…no not my David he is not gay….your radar is off because my David is the farthest thing from gay…I mean when we are together…."

Both Fitz and Olivia stopped her, "Abby!"

"I'm just saying, my man is not gay, but Lexi's man…he is."

"Yeah he is and I know because…he slipped his number in my jacket pocket," Fitz took out the white piece of paper as proof.

"Oh my god…Lexi's boyfriend is attracted to you…this is….this is…"Olivia couldn't finish her sentence, so Fitz did, "Awkward". They all laughed.

"But who you should be interested in is your sister with Harrison. Why did you invite him by the way?" Abby asked.

"He came to my office unexpectedly, asking what me and my sister were doing tonight…I guess he sort of invited himself…You think he likes Lexi?"

Abby and Fitz looked at each other and laughed; Olivia could be oblivious to things going on around her at times.

"What…what are you laughing at?"

"Livvy, they more than like each other…Have you seen the looks, I'd bet their sleeping together," Fitz explained.

"Yeah and I'd bet your sister is really enjoying it too. She hasn't stopped smiling at him since he walked through the door. She can barely put two sentences together. He got her tongue-tied."

Olivia couldn't believe it; Harrison and her sister. And why didn't her sister tell her? And why would she show up with Chris if she really liked Harrison? Was she dating both of them? Well after tonight, she could definitely push Chris aside but Olivia didn't know how comfortable she was with Harrison dating her sister.

"Well I better get back out there…can't leave David alone for too long…Chris might hit on him," Abby joked but then looking at Fitz and Olivia's face, she corrected herself, "But David is not gay! He's not!" She said as she exited the kitchen with the deserts for the group.

"So what are you thinking?" Fitz asked her as she straightened up the counter.

"Honestly, I'm thinking my sister has a better love life than I do. I guess it has always been that way. She is more open, trusting and less reserved than I am. She lets people in, while I push people away."

He was experiencing that first hand but he decided not to say it out loud. "Well you've had different life experiences so that would account for her being more willing to take risks than you are. It doesn't make you a bad person or anything…it just means you're different."

She threw the dish towel down on the counter. "I take risks!" he gave her a look of disbelief and she repeated, "I take risks! I do…you don't know but I do. I can be as open as the next person and I can prove it to you." She was tired of being the old conservative, reserved, cautious Olivia. She wanted to be the person who took chances and leaped for love. She wanted to have a great time in life.

Fitz thought she was cute. He laughed at her tantrum. "Livvy, you don't have to prove anything to me. I believe you. I'm sure you want to be less cautious and everything else you said and it will come in time."

"Now you're patronizing me…you think this is a joke. It's not…it's my life."

He stopped laughing and hugged her too him. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry I was being insensitive, of course you are adventurous Livvy. I believe you. You don't have to prove it though."

She pulled back and could see that he still did not believe her. She would show him. She pulled his head down and kissed him hard and deep. She opened her mouth to take him in and then swept her own tongue inside his mouth to taste him. She felt his hand go down to her ass to raise her up and bring her body closer to his own. She then felt him lift her to sit on the counter so they could be eyelevel. She liked that. Now she could run her fingers through his curls and let his silky fine hair play over her fingers. She had wanted to do that since the day she met him.

They were both unyielding, relentless in their assault, no concern for the room full of people waiting on them. No apprehension about someone walking in on them in a compromising position. They were equal in passion, compatible in their fervent desire for each other.

She pulled back, satisfied that they were both breathless and panting. She gave him a half smile and said, "You're staying with me tonight." She was proud of herself…she never initiated sex. She was never brazen or bold in her affections for the opposite sex but she wanted to be. She wanted to take what she wanted, do what she wanted without embarrassment and shame. She wanted to let go and tonight she would.

He smiled back and said, "No I'm not."

She assumed she heard him agree and kissed him again. It wasn't until her mind registered what he said that she realized he declined her offer. What the hell!


	6. Dating Rule: I'm Fine Doesn't Mean

**(Hi everybody, so I know this is late but I was having so much fun on Twitter, Tumblr and reading everyone else's fanfic that I seriously put this on the back burner, although I had several ideas I toyed around with in this chapter. Can I just say that Tony Goldwyn continues to mesmerize me and control my thoughts? I really think it's starting to be unhealthy for me:) Anyway as I mentioned on Twitter, the support and encouragement from this fandom is amazing. Believe me I would not have the motivation to continue writing if it was not for all of you. I thank you and I appreciate you...As always I would LOVE your feedback on this chapter, there's a lot here so hopefully you don't tire of reading:)**

**Dating Rule: 'I'm FINE' doesn't mean 'I'm FINE'**

"So what do you think?"

Fitz skimmed the paperwork quickly. It was straight-forward, not too many details, very little legal jargon and nothing to really be concerned about, besides he trusted his friend and he believed in the project.

"I think its great Linc. I can't believe you got it up and running. I admire you for sticking to it and getting it done," Fitz said smiling as he signed the end of the page.

Lincoln West was a childhood friend. He and Fitz immediately bonded as children growing up in similar environments – the entertainment industry – and experiencing the same challenges, namely dysfunctional families. In their youth they were reckless and irresponsible but one accident sobered them immediately and changed their lives for good. Both of them thankfully escaped with their lives, although Lincoln's girlfriend did not. And while Fitz' wounds were internalized, as a remnant from the accident, Lincoln's scars were exposed for the world to see; he had a prosthetic leg.

Looking at his friend now, Fitz didn't know if it was guilt, obligation, admiration or a mixture of it all that moved him to come whenever Lincoln called or do whatever he wanted. This time, though, it wasn't a favor to Lincoln, Fitz viewed it as something he needed to do; he wanted to help.

"Yeah well, it helps to have the right sponsors and donors. Everyone wants to help the cripple guy right?" Lincoln joked; Fitz hated when he did that. He never viewed Lincoln as a disabled, probably because from the moment they amputated his leg and fitted him for the prosthesis, Lincoln was aggressively pushing himself through therapy, determined to live a normal life. Now it was barely noticeable that he walked with a slight limp.

Lincoln openly acknowledged his disability and was comfortable enough to openly joke about it. He thought it helped people finally stop treating him like an invalid. Fitz thought it also helped that Lincoln was handsome and wealthy.

"Gerry was supposed to help," Fitz said, thinking it was the least his father could do – donate money for a tax write-off.

"Yes and he did, generously. He wondered why you as my silent partner didn't ask him yourself but I made up an excuse…I even told him we would name a room at the center after him. The Grant Room is a study hall towards the back. He's going to christen his namesake at the ribbon cutting ceremony. So the only thing left to do is get the right people to volunteer their time to come and teach the kids. I've had a lot of support but I left a class open for you; two Saturdays and one Thursday a month. I thought you might want to do your creative writing course. Might give you the incentive to finish that book you've been working on forever," Lincoln prompted.

Fitz was thankful that he only told Lincoln about his dream of writing his own book. The desire to write hit him in waves – sometimes he was desperate to put his thoughts on paper; typing furiously like he was possessed but then he would hit a roadblock and instead of working through it, he would give up and doubt himself.

"Hey, you don't have to sell me on it. I want to help. I've wanted to do something like this. What other classes do you have open?"

Lincoln looked down at his paperwork and said, "Well most of the spots have been filled but several of the parents have suggested some dance classes. Its hard finding people willing to volunteer for that; I'm still searching and then there are a couple of other sport activities that I'm still considering. But everything will be up and running within 2 weeks. And by the way, the honorary fundraiser dinner is next week, black tie, chance for you to dress up and bring a date – something that's not too hard for you to do," Lincoln said and then laughed at Fitz' frowning expression. His friend's love life must not be going all that well.

"These days, I'm lucky if I can get her to answer my phone calls," Fitz said realizing that while Lincoln probably thought he was joking, he was in actuality telling the truth.

XXXXXX

"Anuptaphobia…..it's the word for the fear of staying single or being alone forever. 2 in 5 women suffer from it. They actually made a word for it. Can you believe it?" Michelle said as she took another sip of her drink.

Alexis laughed at her friend's comment; it was just like Michelle to throw out random facts about things. Her favorite Twitter page was Uber Facts. Alexis found it amusing. "Michelle you are not going to end up old and alone, stop it, you're giving off negative vibes and any guys remotely interested in you will be completely turned off, right Liv?"

Olivia was zoned out, not really paying attention to her sister or her sister's friend, whom she really didn't like. She thought Michelle was pretentious and immature. Abby's bump to the arm startled her, "What? What did you say?"

"Never mind, where are you tonight? This was supposed to be a fun evening, just the girls, you know, but your mind is a million miles away," Alexis said.

"I know I'm sorry….But I'm fine….So what were you saying?"

Michelle spoke up, "Do you think guys see me as a negative person? I don't think I am but what do you think?" Michelle never missed an opportunity to question Olivia about relationships. Little did she know, Olivia could barely handle her own relationship problems. But judging by the events from last week's dinner party and Olivia's despondent attitude ever since that night, Abby and Alexis knew it.

"I don't think Liv wants to get into that right now," Abby offered, seeing the look of distress on Olivia's face.

"Yeah let's just drop the subject," Alexis agreed. She shot Abby a look of helplessness. Neither had any idea what happened between Olivia and Fitz; all they knew was that they were in the kitchen one minute and within moments Olivia was practically kicking everyone out of her home. Neither of them could get Olivia to open up about the incident since that time.

Olivia knew she wasn't very good company but she didn't really care. She didn't want to go out and she definitely didn't want to come to this bar. Abby's persistence had become irritating to the point that Olivia thought it easier to just go along with the plan for the evening.

She had already seen Jake twice this evening but thankfully he was busy working and barely had time to speak to her. She was concerned about the mix signals she could be giving him because he kept asking her out and she kept declining. She didn't tell him about Fitz, figuring that there was not much to tell but now she felt like she was cheating on Fitz by even being there.

"So I got a tattoo," Alexis said, shocking everyone at the table.

"What!" Olivia said, practically shouting.

"Calm down Liv, it's just a small one, right at the small of my back…Actually me and Harrison got tattoos. He already had a couple but he wanted another one and I went with him and decided to get my own. What do you guys think?" She stood up, lifted the back of her shirt and slightly lowered her waistband. It was a small, feminine tattoo of an Asian symbol.

"I think it's hot…what does it stand for?" Abby asked. Michelle was already on her smart phone googling the ratings on local tattoo shops. She tended to imitate Alexis sometimes to the point of nausea.

"Eternal love," Alexis said smiling.

"So this thing with you and Harrison, is it serious?" Olivia asked with an attitude. Her face was anything but pleased about the relationship. Alexis tilted her head in confusion; she had no idea why Olivia wouldn't approve of the relationship. Harrison was a 100 times better than the last guy, who happened to be on the down low.

"It's getting there, I mean we haven't mentioned the love thing yet but I'm meeting his family this weekend at some birthday party for his cousin. So I'm excited about that."

"I'm happy for you Lexi. Harrison is a good guy," Abby said sincerely and kicked Olivia under the table.

"Stop kicking me Abby, Lexi knows I only want her to be happy," Olivia said.

"Do you?" Alexis questioned suspiciously.

The silence was uncomfortable. Olivia and Alexis stared at each other; shooting daggers across the table.

Abby cleared her throat. "Michelle, can you come with me to get another drink from the bar?" Michelle opened her mouth to protest but Abby quickly grabbed her from the chair and forced her to leave the table.

"What the hell is your problem Liv?"

"Hey, don't talk to me like that," Olivia said censuring her sister's tone.

"Then what is it? Why are you never happy for me? For someone who makes a living giving people dating advice you suck at taking it yourself. Anyone looking at you would think you didn't know the first thing about men and women and relationships. It's pitiful."

"Shut up Lexi. Just because I'm not like you, spreading my legs for any man that shows me attention, doesn't mean…"

"Maybe you should and dust off the cobwebs down there. God knows you're about to shrivel up and die…"

"I just can't believe you were sleeping with Harrison while dating the gay guy…what kind of person…."

"You think you know all about love but you don't know shit…" Alexis started but then stopped mid-sentence and almost kicked herself as she looked upon Olivia's triumphant face. It was a rule among the Pope girls – whenever they got into an argument, the first person who used a curse word automatically lost. Their father always told them that curse words were for people who didn't have the intelligence to find the right words to express their feelings.

"I won," Olivia said with a victorious smile.

"Yeah but you know I was right….Seriously Liv, what is the matter? Talk to me."

Olivia sighed and said, "I…I'm falling in love with him." She cringed when she heard herself say it out loud. She was jealous. Everyone was happy in love but her – Quinn and Jesse; Alexis and Harrison; Abby and David. All of them were ecstatically thrilled about being in love but not her – she was miserable in love.

"Fitz? Fitz? Wow, well it was only a matter of time," Alexis said smiling. "I mean you two are like the most beautiful people on the planet, it was inevitable that you fall for each other."

"I said I'm in love with him, I didn't say that he loved me," Olivia said sadly.

When Alexis gave a look of confusion, Olivia explained what happened in the kitchen at the dinner. She expected Alexis to sympathize with her and take her side, instead she laughed at her. And now hearing herself recount the event, Olivia now found it hilarious too. She didn't think it was a funny at the time and she still wished it had happened to someone else but as she swore Alexis to secrecy, she joined her sister in laughing at it.

"Liv, if that man didn't love you he would have jumped you in the kitchen. You would have been peeling your sweaty, naked ass off the counter."

Olivia laughed and then said, "I saw Edison."

All merriment instantly drained away from Alexis' face. She never hated another person as much as she hated Edison. "Oh Liv, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Fitz was with me, thankfully. I ended up telling him everything, which makes it even more shocking that he would want to be with me."

"So wait, you saw Edison one night, unloaded all your ex-boyfriend baggage on Fitz and the very next day you proposition Fitz to sleep with you?!" Alexis asked smiling at her sister's antics.

"Well when you put it like that, it does sound ridiculous….I'm so embarrassed. I've ignored Fitz for almost 2 weeks. I'll only talk to him when I'm forced to at the office. He's tried talking to me but I keep pushing him away…I need to get it together, fast…I don't want to lose him, Lexi. I want him…real bad…"

Alexis smiled at her sister. Olivia was tormented but this was good. She had never fallen this hard for anyone, not even Edison. Her sister was finally starting the road to recover from the toxic relationship she had in the past. She was finally letting someone in and allowing herself to love him back. It was gonna be great.

XXXXXX

She had been waiting and by her watch, it had already been 7 minutes. She sat alone in Cyrus' office waiting for him to show up for the early morning meeting. Quinn warned her that he was running a little late but asked that she continue to wait. So she continued to wait.

Cyrus came in the office with two cups of coffee, one of which he offered to Olivia. "Thanks for waiting."

"Sure no problem," she said dispassionately.

"So, how are you doing kiddo?" Cyrus asked as he took the seat behind his desk.

"I'm fine Cy. Are we waiting for Fitz?" She tried not to sound too hopeful but she hadn't seen Fitz in days and she wanted to talk to him. She couldn't go another day without resolving their problems. Her anger and embarrassment had quickly faded into fear and anxiety that Fitz would tire of her neurotic, insecure, indecisiveness and decide that she wasn't worth the effort anyway.

"No…I already updated him. He won't be back around until Monday; some family issues. He's available by cell and email if you need him though."

"No it's fine," she strangled out.

"Alright, well the details about the photo shoot have been emailed to you and you'll need to report to the site first thing Monday morning. I'm told it will likely take all day and…."

Olivia only vaguely heard the rest of what Cyrus said. Her stomach dropped and she literally wanted to cry. Was Fitz now avoiding her? Had he had enough of her ignoring him? Had she lost him? She had an urgent feeling to run out of Cyrus' office and find him to explain, apologize; to do anything that would make him understand how much she wanted to be with him. She suffered through the meeting and as soon as she exited, she went to her office and picked up her phone to send him a text message. She paused, not quite knowing what to say. How do you express your feelings through a text message? Before she lost her nerve and talked herself out of the message all together she typed a simple text: _Fitz, I'm sorry...Olivia_.

She watched her phone continuously almost willing it to chime with a responding text from him. The wait and the silence were unbearable. Was this how he felt when she was ignoring him over the past 2 weeks? Now she felt even worse for what she had done and how she had treated him. Hoping to communicate with him telepathically, she whispered a chant to her phone: _Please call. Please call. Please call_. But by the end of the evening she realized the awful truth; he wasn't calling her back. This relationship-thing was harder than she thought. She sighed as she realized that it was going to be a long sleepless night of wine, tears and sad music.

XXXXXX

"This is a surprise," Olivia said in the friendliest voice she could conjure up. She was the last person on earth Olivia wanted to see but admittedly her curiosity was piqued at what precisely would move Mellie to come to her office in the middle of the day.

"Is it really?" spitefulness, venom carefully masked behind a delightful smile – Mellie's trademark.

"Should I have expected you?" Olivia asked as she resumed her seat behind her desk. It struck her that Mellie picked the perfect day to come here; Fitz was gone so therefore there was no danger of him popping in unexpected. Knowing Mellie, she probably planned it this way.

"No, not really. I hope you don't mind, Quinn was nice enough to let me wait for you in here," Mellie said sweetly. Olivia did mind but she was determined to politely endure the conversation and be as cordial as possible.

'No, of course not. So how can I help you?"

Adversaries, with one man standing between them. One woman loved him and the other wanted to control him. Smiles plastered on their faces and looks of innocence did nothing to hide the contempt each felt for the other.

"Olivia, I'm not here as some 'crazy-bitch ex-girlfriend' looking for revenge. Contrary to what you may think I'm totally fine with the break-up; I'm not angry at Fitz and I'm not angry at you. I thought you might want to know that."

"Mellie, your break up had nothing to do with me."

Mellie chuckled, "Please Olivia, do not insult my intelligence. Fitz was fine…he was happy…until you came along. Then, he changed. But as I said, it's okay…I put two years into our relationship and he just walked away but that's fine…Anyway, I'm sure you will be able to help him more than I could…I was getting tired of indulging him."

"What are you talking about Mellie?" Olivia knew as soon as she asked the question, she wouldn't like Mellie's answer. She wished she could pretend that she already knew whatever it was Mellie was talking about but her curiosity got the best of her.

"He didn't tell you?" she asked with a show of great concern, "Of course he didn't…Well Olivia, it really isn't my place to tell Fitz' personal business but I will say that he has had some serious trouble in the past with his family and with the magazine. One more screw up and the magazine may find a way to terminate him."

Olivia frowned and wondered whether she should trust Mellie. She had lied to her before; Olivia was sure she would do it again. It didn't sound at all like Fitz to her. What kind of trouble was he in? What happened with his family? What happened with the magazine? And why hadn't he told her?

"Well obviously you two have a lot to talk about. So," Mellie sighed and stood from her seat, effectively accomplishing what she wanted, "I wish you both the best. And don't worry Olivia, Fitz is a good guy, he just has…issues. But then again, don't we all," she ended with a light-hearted chuckle as if she had just told a joke. She wished Olivia a good day and left the office; Olivia could have sworn she practically skipped away.

XXXXXX

Olivia's hand reached out from under the comforter. Keeping her eyes closed she felt around until she located her cell phone; the incessant buzzing from the incoming text disturbing the last few minutes of her slumber.

Through squinted eyes, she read:

_**Meet me in the Palisades, Sunset and Los Liones Drive – Fitz**_

Olivia groaned and put the phone down, ignoring the text. It was 7AM on a Saturday morning; too early to be sending text messages.

After several minutes, the phone buzzed again.

_**Stop ignoring me. I'm not going away. Get up and get dressed – Fitz**_

She was irritated as she typed a responding message.

_**Leave me alone. I'm sleep – Olivia**_

_**You are not sleep, so get up. It's important – Fitz**_

It took Olivia 5 minutes of staring at her bedroom ceiling to finally decide to get up and get dressed to meet him. She toyed with the notion of ignoring him all day but that would do neither of them any good. She was more than a little upset with the fact that he never responded to her message and thought this would be an opportunity to let him know how wrong he was for treating her that way. So she shoved the covers aside and went to shower and dress.

XXXXXX

Fitz couldn't tolerate it any longer. Her icy demeanor and distant attitude had persisted for the past 2 weeks. He had indulged her tantrum for far too long. He tried not to pressure her to talk to him, hoping that eventually she would come around but she hadn't and now their work relationship had been affected. They still produced good work but Fitz knew it was sub-par; they could do better; they had done better, in the past when they were getting along.

Even Cyrus had asked on multiple occasions if they were doing okay. Her response was always the same, "I'm fine", "We're fine," which he knew meant that the she was anything but 'fine'; she was Freaked Out-Insecure-Neurotic-Emotional.

He thought by now she would have understood his response in the kitchen; he had explained himself enough times that it should have been implanted in her brain. He was honest and told her that as much as he wanted her, he didn't want to sleep with her on a dare – she was daring herself to be adventurous and risky and he didn't want their relationship to be her test subject. When they got together, as he was confident that eventually they would, it would be when she finally realized that he was not like Edison or other men; when she finally learned to trust him enough to give herself to him. She had a very low opinion of men in general, which he understood, but she needed to know that he didn't fit into the same category.

No matter how hard he tried to explain, she only pretended to understand. Her ego was bruised and as a result she kept him at a distance. At the office she kept herself secluded behind closed doors. But from his office, he could hear her pacing the floor almost daily. Whenever he tried to discuss the questions for their next article, she kindly suggested that he come up with his response in his office and just email it to her – her preferred method of communication.

It had to stop.

And then to receive her two-word text message irritated him even further. The fact that she thought two words were sufficient to placate him after 2 weeks of silence was ridiculous.

It was 2 ½ hours later when she finally arrived at the destination. He had only arrived 30 minutes earlier, already estimating that it would take her a while to finally appear. He was leaning against his car when she pulled up next to him. She wondered how he could look so incredibly sexy this early in the morning. It irritated her that she couldn't control the earth-shattering attraction she had for him. She turned off her engine and remained in the car.

He opened the car door for her but she didn't get out.

"Get out of the car."

"No! And I don't appreciate being summoned here on a Saturday morning. I was sleeping Fitz. I was resting." She met his chilly reception with her own.

"Get out of the car."

"No," she was digging in. She crossed her arms over her chest like a stubborn child.

"Get out of the car," Fitz temper was rising. She was being deliberately obstinate.

"No, just tell me what you need to say so I can get out of here."

He yelled at her, "Get out of the damn car Olivia!"

His tone shocked her. She had never seen him so angry and never expected to hear him talk to her like that. She got out of the car and let him lead her to an empty bench. "Sit down," he said. Olivia could see his jaw clenching and a vein exposed in the side of his neck. She had never seen that before either. _He must really be angry_, she thought.

He went to the trunk of his car and retrieved a pair of hiking boots. He came back and kneeled before her. Without a word he began removing her shoes and replacing them with the boots. Olivia watched him in wonder – it was an incredibly intimate gesture; he handled her feet so gently. She watched his hands, his face and his mouth, instantly aroused by the care and attention he showed toward her. He caught her watching him and she looked away, embarrassed.

"If you would have told me what we were doing I would have dressed for it," she said. He remained quiet.

The day was not going as he planned. He intended to show her his favorite spot. The hiking trail ended at a cliff with a magnificent view high above the Pacific Ocean; on a clear day you could see as far as Catalina Island. He could sit there for hours just basking in the warm LA sun and letting the crisp air hit his skin. He intended for them to be able to sit and talk; resolve their problems and if he had his way kiss and make up. But her stubbornness derailed all his good intentions.

Fitz was angry to be true but he also found pleasure in being so close to her. To be able to touch her again after so long meant everything to him. Her feet were so soft, dainty, delicate; he couldn't help but enjoy the moment. He was falling in love with this woman and her stubbornness was not going to deter his craving to be with her. When he was changing her shoes, he wanted nothing more than to pick her up and carry her away to be with him but he had not forgotten the past couple of weeks and her repeated attempts to push him away.

He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of being soft; he wasn't going to let her get away with her childish behavior. He was still decidedly irritated with her, which was evident by his near attempt to cut off all circulation in her feet by forcibly lacing up her hiking boots nearly too tight.

When he finished he stood up and began walking away from her. He turned around when he realized she wasn't following. He gave her a stern look, silently commanding her to follow him, but she returned with a look of defiance. "Where are we going?" she asked him from her seat.

"We are hiking, come on," he directed. His voice still had not softened. But he was inwardly pleased when she got up to follow behind him, although she had a difficult time catching up.

"Why are you walking so fast?" she asked.

"I'm not walking too fast. Your jeans are too tight and you can barely keep up."

"Your legs are a lot longer than mine and my jeans are not tight," she called out, countering his argument. He said nothing else but kept walking in front of her.

"What is your problem?" she asked.

"I don't have a problem."

"Then why am I getting texts early on Saturday morning telling me to suffer through LA traffic to get here."

"Because you need to get over yourself and learn how to communicate with me," he spouted, still refusing to slow down to allow her to catch up.

"You're angry because I haven't been talking to you!...I'm the one who should be angry. I was the one who was humiliated and embarrassed in my own house," she was getting breathless, struggling to keep up with his pace.

"You know that's not what I wanted…you know that. You know why I said what I said and how I feel about you and you still give me the silent treatment for two gotdamned weeks Olivia!"

She felt bad. She knew she had been unreasonable; she had closed herself off from him because her ego was bruised all the while admiring him for preventing them from making the mistake of pushing their relationship too far too fast. She was conflicted and instead of talking about it with him, she shut him out.

"Fitz, please," she barely managed to say. The emotion in his voice was unmistakable. After two weeks of ducking and dodging, all she wanted to do now was talk to him.

He suddenly stopped, turned around and faced her. He slowly walked back to her until he was so close she could see the ferocity in his blue eyes, "And your taking Jake's calls again. Is he the one that you want to be with? Is he the one you want? Will he adore you like I do?" His accusation surprised her. She had only spoken to Jake a few times in the past couple of weeks and in the last conversation she was honest and told him that she could not pursue a relationship with him.

He didn't give her a chance to respond. He turned and walked back towards the hiking trail. He was about to walk away again.

"Stop walking!...Stop!...Walking!" she yelled after him and he immediately stopped. She was hurt. How could he think she would want Jake? She hadn't said it yet, but couldn't he tell that she was in love with him? And he was the only one she wanted to be with.

Fitz turned around and saw her teary expression, realizing that it matched his own. He waited for her to say something but even when she opened her mouth no words came. They were both too overcome with emotion to speak.

His stride back to her was quick. He reached her in practically two steps. He pulled her close to him and kissed her with an intensity that threatened to bruise her lips but she didn't care; she pulled him even closer. She missed him desperately; an emotional mess – needing him close, yet day after day pushing him away. He backed her up against a tree, never breaking the kiss. It was fierce, aggressive almost savage. She moaned as she felt him move to her neck and nibble and suck at her neck. It would leave marks, which thrilled her even more – she never had anyone leave marks of possession on her body. His hands began wondering over her body; moving from her stomach and raising to the point of caressing her breast through the thin shirt she wore.

They were lost in each other; forgetting they were in a public place. Ignoring the fact that other hikers were starting up on the trail. It wasn't until they heard the cat-calls, whistles and someone suggesting that they 'get a room' that Fitz finally raised his head to end the encounter. He could barely breathe. He never released his grip on her waist but rested his forehead against the tree next to her until his breathing returned to a normal pace. "You're killing me Livvy, you really are."

"I know…I'm sorry Fitz," Olivia panted out. "So…so can we stop hiking now?"

XXXXXX

"Tell me what you want Livvy," Fitz said as he watched her over the breakfast table. She had been fidgety, unable to relax, and him staring at her intently only made her more nervous. She tried looking everywhere except in his eyes, making small talk about menial subjects that he didn't want to speak of and avoiding the real issue.

"Nothing I'm full, thanks," she ventured knowing that food was not what he meant. She sighed, "I know that's not what you meant…but you have to know how hard this is for me."

His eyes softened as he understood her reticence. "Livvy, look at me," he waited until she complied before continuing, "Why are you afraid of me?"

"It's not you…well it's not just you…but it's what I feel for you that scares me. It's too intense and I've never felt like this before. Sometimes I get inside my own head and I can ruin things before they even start. I don't want to do it this time, not with you Fitz. I want to try, that's if…if you want to."

He had no idea how this gorgeous woman could feel insecure or doubtful in the least. There was no question of whether he wanted her. He wanted her from the first moment he met her. And judging by what he felt right now, he would always want her.

He smiled reassuringly and said, "Dear Fitz and Olivia, I know personal relationships with co-workers are difficult but I want to start dating a woman I work with. We really like each other. But she's had a bad relationship in the past and that makes her afraid to trust her feelings and take the risk. What should I do?"

Olivia laughed at him. But he insisted, "Well Livvy, what should he do?"

"Ok, I'll play along…mmmm…let me think….Definitely don't give up on her. Most of us have issues, problems in our past that have shaped who we are today. If you really like her, like you say you do, then fight for your relationship. If she sees you fighting for it, she will do the same. She will see you as someone who really wants to be with her despite her fears and she will trust you. She'll have no choice, especially since she's in love with you."

He was quiet, touched by her words. She was used to him always having something to say so his silence made her doubt her openness. Maybe it was she who scared him this time. "Fitz, I…"

"Livvy, I'm in this with you…we're in this together. I want this just as much as you do, if not more."

She was elated at the possibility of the relationship; excited about the newness of it and eager to prove to herself that she could love him. She could allow herself to be vulnerable and open to something new and, come what may she would enjoy the ride. Even now being with him in public was different. She was felt free to really BE with him – no hiding and no pretenses. He was no longer tied to Mellie and she was detangling herself from her past and her toxic feelings about men.

She watched him as he spoke about his weekend, which was filled with friends and family obligations. He wanted to spend it with her but he had already committed himself. His hands were so big and expressive, had she not noticed that before? The way his mouth moved, the smirk he would put on, which as just as adorable as it was sexy. And his voice…she swore she could listen to him speak forever.

"Livvy?...Livvy?...Did you hear what I said?" Fitz asked.

Olivia shook her head at her own fancifulness. "I'm sorry Fitz…what was it you said?"

Fitz smiled and said, "I asked if you would go with me to this fundraiser my friend is giving next Friday. Its black tie and I'm sorry for the short notice but he just reminded me of it."

"Of course I will. You know I will."

"So what was it you were thinking about a minute ago…you looked dazed…what's going on?"

"Nothing…it's nothing…just….," she paused, gathering the courage to speak her mind, "I was just sitting here waiting and wondering when you're going to ask me out on our first date."

He liked it when she told him what was on her mind. She still wasn't completely comfortable with honestly expressing herself to him but he knew it would come in time. The anticipation and the eagerness on her face bordered on comical and he couldn't help but laugh.

XXXXXX

Exhilaration, excitement and rising sexual arousal was a dangerous combination when it couldn't be released properly. And these weren't ideal circumstances to indulge fleshly sensations – surrounded by cameramen, photographers, directors, stylists and on and on. Still the setting, the intimacy and the penchant for a passionate response was unmistakable. It was almost surreal, as when a fantasy suddenly becomes reality.

_(CLICK-CLICK-CLICK) _The noise from the camera shutters would continue to remind them to stay in focused on the present.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he said as he gently kissed her shoulder.

She was weak in the knees but hazily followed the cameraman's direction and slowly climbed the stairs higher and higher to the bridal suite. She, the imaginary bride, dressed in a long, white, sleeveless dress and he the groom in his well-fitted charcoal grey suit.

She felt Fitz' hand snake around her waist and stop her ascent as he came up from behind to pull her even closer to him eliminating any glimmer of spatial light that could peep between their bodies. He was only one step beneath her. His hand was so warm, so comforting; soothing her nerves but doing nothing for her arousal. And by the feel of the bulge pressing against her ass; his arousal was coming to the fore as well. "I guess you're feeling it too," she turned around to give him a half smile and was delighted to find him so close and at eye level where she could gaze into the deep blue sea. A slight moan escaped but neither could tell who it came from – the feeling was mutual.

"Ok let's go in to the garden…we will need to do another wardrobe change before we get to the bedroom shots," the photographer advised.

Fitz was trying desperately to clear his mind. This photo shoot was becoming more difficult than he previously estimated. He had done photo shoots alone and with his family before; usually long, tiring and drawn out always trying to get that perfect shot. But this was different – this time he was with the woman he was falling in love with and trying desperately to hold out on sex until she trusted him enough to love him back. Being this close to her was not helping and with their "chemistry" being the theme of the shoot, he had a feeling that this was not as close as they were going to get.

The garden setting was beautiful – perfect for a wedding or an engaged couple's photo gallery.

She had been teasing him all day about how she was going squeal over his gorgeous pictures. She did her best imitation of a fangirl scream of his name, which earned her a playful squeeze from him, "What?" she asked laughing. He threw his head back in laughter, telling her to "Stop it." He ended up kissing her shoulder again, lingering in the kiss resulting in a giddiness that Olivia could no longer contain and the bliss between them was marvelously captured on film.

_____(CLICK-CLICK-CLICK) _The photographer and cameraman gave each other a knowing look both extremely pleased with the personal and intimate shots they were getting with little to no direction. The obvious sexual tension between these two would almost certainly be a subject of continued conversation among the crew after the shoot ended.

Fitz holding her from behind was becoming her favorite position – if only there were no clothes between them. She moved her hands to intertwine with his fingers; such large, strong masculine hands. Following direction, she moved her head to the side and felt him bend down until his lips were inches away from hers. Even when holding her breath she could smell the aura about him and it was enveloping her. He inhaled and his slow exhalation of warm air graced her lips as he nuzzled against her cheek. She might have breathed his name, _Fitz_, but could not recall.

The second wardrobe change was more casual and Fitz hoped that this setting would allow him to control his feelings but he doubted it very much. He was relieved to find that Olivia had been dressed casually as well. He figured there weren't many suggestive photos they could take with them dressed so casually – but he was wrong.

They were on the balcony waiting for the photographer to set up for the next shot. Olivia's back was on the railing with Fitz was standing directly in front of her – trapping her with his arms. "Oh wait I think my shirt is wrong, my bra strap is showing," Olivia said without thinking and to herself mostly. She reached up to fix it. "Here let me help you," Fitz offered and began adjusting her bra strap and her shirt. By the time they realized what they were doing, Olivia's head popped up too quickly and her lips landed on his. They pulled back immediately recognizing where they were. Olivia gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry."

_(CLICK-CLICK-CLICK) _

He moved closer and closer; pressing her body against the railing; staring down at her while she looked away. She could feel his eyes burning against her face; digesting every aspect of her profile. Suddenly she turned and allowed him to hold her from behind. It was a serious shot and she tried to contain her smile; feeling the pleasure of him pressed against her body was making her flustered. Then she felt his hand come around her and grasp her stomach. He brought his head to her shoulder and they were cheek-to-cheek. They both instinctively rubbed their cheeks together and she stifled a purr at the feel of the soft caress.

The bridal bed; a four-poster bed with feather white bedding – perfect for a newly married couple. But that was not them, Olivia counseled herself to focus on reality. He sat on the edge of the bed and she stood between his legs. He leaned into her chest and she cradled his head, moving down to his broad shoulders. The photographer called their names and they both turned to look for the intimate shot.

"This is a beautiful room," she said trying to make small talk as they waited for their next direction.

"You could imagine that this is our room," he teased, smiling as he looked up at her; watching as she moved her hair away from her face.

She laughed and it was infectious; he laughed with her. She relaxed in his arms as she felt his hands move closer to her ass and she followed the direction to rest the side of her head against the top of his.

_(CLICK-CLICK-CLICK) _

The last shoot of the day took the longest in preparation. The theme changed to old Hollywood Glamour. Olivia spent considerable time in hair and makeup. The dress they had for her was more beautiful than the last and it was extremely sexy. The corset top of the dress clung to her petite figure and dipped enough to accent her breasts. The crowning touch was a split in the satin night gown dress that reached all the way to the top of her thigh.

When she walked in the bedroom she caught Fitz eye as he gave her a full smile of admiration. He immediately walked over to her. "Amazing," he said as he hugged her.

She smiled in appreciation but she thought he looked more enticing. When she saw him the first thought that came was the affinity he bore to James Bond 007 – provocative, mysterious, tantalizing, all perfect descriptions for him.

Another bedroom – larger and classier than the last; more like a hotel presidential suite. A couple shots of them embracing each other, then as directed, he began slowly unbuttoning the back of her dress. 5 buttons undone and most of her back was exposed to the feel of his hand grazing, massaging her back. Suddenly there were just too many buttons for him to get through and she wanted to tell him to rip the damn dress off…

She felt like prey. He sat in a chair watching her. It was completely unnecessary for the photographer to direct him to keep his eyes on Olivia; that was the simple, automatic part. His eyes could feast on her beauty all day, any day. The hard part was restraining himself from going over, picking her up and flipping her down on the bed. She was 10 feet away from him but he swore he could make it to her in one stride. He was fine as long as they didn't have to touch each other.

He should have known that would not be possible. Not only did they take the photos with him sensually embracing her but he was now lying beneath her half-dressed with her hand caressing the soft, fine hair of his bare chest. Lying between his legs, surrounded by his protective arms was creating a flurry in her heart and inferno in her blood. She was somewhat relieved to feel his heartbeat pacing at an accelerated rate underneath her hand. His hand moving over her ass was the point of no return; she surprised herself with the pool of wetness developing between her legs – good thing she wasn't wearing underwear, which the movement of his hands allowed him to now come to that realization as well.

"Mmmm, this thin dress is the only thing separating me from your lovely ass. So close…" he whispered seductively in her ear. She shivered despite her dire need to maintain control.

_(CLICK-CLICK-CLICK) _

"Ok everyone that's a wrap, great job," the photographer said and everyone clapped and cheered for Fitz and Olivia, embarrassing them both.

XXXXXX

When Olivia immerged from the dressing room she was happy to see that Fitz waited for her. She gave him a smile of appreciation and affection – not really knowing how to proceed in their relationship or what to expect from him. All she knew was that, after today, she would want him even more, if that were even possible. But she was reluctant to initiate anything, fearing rejection again.

She eagerly accepted the invitation to dinner at his place. And told him she would meet him there after going home to check on Josie. When she finally arrived, she was shocked to hear voices coming from his home; she assumed that they would be dinning alone. She raised her hand to knock but the door swung open and Olivia was surprisingly greeted by a beautiful older woman, tall, blonde with grey eyes and a remarkable resemblance to Fitz. She immediately thought her to be Fitz' older sister, Lily.

Lily was just as surprised to see Olivia standing on the doorstep, but she soon recovered and smiled brightly as she extended her hand to pull Olivia inside. "You must be Olivia. Fitz was just kicking me out so that I wouldn't be here when you arrived. I'm so glad you came before I left. It's so nice to meet you, I'm Lily."

Olivia returned the smile. "It's nice to meet you too Lily. I'm sorry you feel you have to leave on my account. You can stay if you like."

Fitz yelled from another room, "No, she has to leave right now. She came without calling and now she has to leave."

"Fitz that is no way to treat your only sister. I can't believe you," Lily yelled back in a hurt voice.

Fitz walked into the foyer and greeted Olivia with a kiss on the lips before addressing Lily, "Don't play like you're hurt…you know you're not…you only came to tell me about Gerry's thing and you could have done that over the phone, which means that Tommy told you about Olivia and you came here trying to get more information."

Lily smiled at her brother when she noticed the affection he showed towards Olivia. He had never treated a woman like that in front of his family and it was telling. Her little brother was changing for the better. Already, she liked seeing him with Olivia.

"Ok, Ok, but don't ever say I never come to see you baby brother. It was very nice to meet you Olivia," she said as she gave her a brief hug and then she gave Fitz a hug saying, "Bye Fitz, love you."

"Love you too."

XXXXXX

Olivia was stuffed; she felt like she was waddling from the dining room table to the couch. "That was so good. I'm so stuffed, I feel like I need to unbutton my jeans," she said jokingly as she watched him refill her wine glass.

"Whatever makes you feel comfortable, I don't mind," Fitz said teasingly.

"So what did you think of today?" she asked as he sat next to her. The TV was on but the volume was low and neither really paid attention to whatever was being played.

"I think you looked amazingly beautiful and the pictures should turn out great. I still can't believe they want a photo spread of us in the magazine. It's practically unheard of; we aren't celebrities or anything, it seems unnecessary."

"It must be Cyrus trying to sell us on another level. You know him – he's gonna keep pimping us out until he can squeeze us for the very last dollar," Olivia said laughing.

Fitz laughed at her comment but knew her estimation was pretty accurate. "So how did you feel about it?"

She gave him a serious look before answering, "Honestly?" and when he nodded his head to encourage her candidness, she continued, "I felt extremely turned on…like cold shower kind of turned on."

He smiled at her, "You know I'm really enjoying this no hiding, honest and open side of you. How can I get more of that?"

"If you kiss me I'll tell you," she said and held her breath waiting for him to kiss her. She told herself that she wasn't going to do make the first move but being with him made all rational thought disappear.

There was a low rumble of laughter from him before he leaned in to kiss her; thankful that she initiated the intimacy. He gently pecked her lips, running his tongue over the outside and then tasting the inside of her lips. She was so sweet, so intoxicating that it didn't take long for him to seek entrance into her mouth and she willingly, eagerly complied. The kiss magnified to a burning, passionate joining as she squirmed beneath him, trying to push them farther and farther along.

Olivia sought and found the opening to the back of his shirt; she needed to feel his bare skin; run her hands over his back; press his body closer to hers. When she reached her goal she moaned into his mouth, roused by the feel of him. Fitz followed her lead and did the same, except the treasure he found was the feel of a lace bra covering her breasts. He adjusted their position so that he was no longer on top of her but they both lay on their sides with his back against the couch. Never breaking the kiss, he unbuttoned her blouse and removed it; with one hand he unhooked her bra, using his mouth to form a trail down her body. He inhaled the scent of her between the mounds of her breasts before diving in to feast himself by licking, sucking teasing her nipples.

Olivia thought she was about to lose her mind. She was shattering inside, full of sensations each more powerful than the last. She moaned his name over and over again; delighting in the feelings he was giving her and never wanting him to stop. _He wouldn't stop in the middle of this would he? No, he wouldn't be that cruel. _Just in case he thought it, she whispered, "Don't stop".

Fitz' hand moved down to unbutton her jeans. "Lift up a little for me," he said and through her haze she heard him and complied. Before she knew it she was practically completely naked underneath him and he had on all his clothing. She wanted him naked with her and went to undress him before he stayed her hand, "Not yet," he said.

She almost said something in protest until she felt his hand stroking her; teasing her with a feather light touches before using his finger to rub circles on her clit. He brought her leg on top of his to give him greater access before resuming his position of driving her crazy with need. When he inserted his finger, she bucked off the couch, grabbing his shoulders just to hold on. He was moving at a rhythm that increased her frenzy causing body to jerk and move to meet his finger.

He wanted to capture her moans within his mouth so he reclaimed her lips while he continued the magic he worked with his fingers. He knew she was ready to release and trailed kisses down her neck, encouraging her to let go and scream as loud as she wanted to. And she did; she exploded, loudly.

Her eyes remained tightly shut as her body continued to hum in delight. She had felt something with Fitz that she had not felt with any other man; it was passion, carnal, wanton desire. She didn't care whether it was ladylike; it felt good, damned good and she wanted to do that over and over again but next time with him inside her.

"Livvy?"

She opened her eyes to see him staring intently at her. Bringing her hand up to caress his face, she smiled at his look of concern. "That was incredible, Fitz…but what…what about you?"

He kissed her forehead. "Something to save for next time….It's a little late and you've had a lot to drink…Stay here with me tonight?"

When she smiled in agreement, he kissed her again. Olivia thought it was the most sacrificially loving thing for him to do. To allow her to get used to him, to know the pleasure of being with him, what intimacy meant with him, before taking them to the next stage. She was so thankful and full of love for him at that moment but she refrained from saying anything that might scare him off or ruin the moment they shared.

In the early morning, Fitz awoke with a start as he heard a scream and glass breaking. He jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs in the direction of the noise. His beating heart only calmed when he finally found the source of the scare: Dressed only in one of his shirts, Olivia was standing his kitchen, a broken glass at her feet and a look of remorse on her face. Standing before her in the middle of the room was his brother Tommy, clad only in his briefs.

"Tommy put some clothes on now!" Fitz yelled to his brother, who started to put on his pants.

Careful not to step on any glass, he grabbed Olivia and hugged her to him, "Livvy, baby, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah Fitz I'm okay. I just didn't expect him to be there; I just got spooked that's all. I was a little jumpy. Sorry I woke you."

"No don't worry about it. It's okay," he said as he kissed her cheek.

She could tell Fitz had words for Tommy, so she quickly excused herself. "OK well I'm going up to get ready for work," she said as she walked away from him to the stairs and began the climb back to his bedroom.

When she was out of earshot, Tommy grinned at him and excitedly said, "Fitz, man I am so sorry about that. I didn't expect you to have a girl here and much less HER. That is so cool. Congratulations, man."

"Shut up Tommy, get your clothes on so you can leave," Fitz said and as he walked back to the stairs he called out and said, "You're cleaning up the glass AND you're giving me my key back." Kicking his siblings out of his house was becoming a regular habit with him.

XXXXXX

"I brought you this…thank you for last night," Olivia said as she sat a cup of coffee on his desk in front of him.

"Why are you thanking me?" he said eyeing her suspiciously. He knew something was coming afterward that he needed to brace himself for.

She sighed dramatically. "I want to make sure you understand why I may be a little different at work than I am with you at other times. I have to be more reserved and professional here…I don't want people to know about us, not yet at least. I don't want to go through the comments, gossip and insinuations that you got me this job because I slept with you…I don't want that. I'd find a way to leave before I had to endure that."

Although he couldn't imagine anyone drawing that conclusion, Fitz understood her concern. She had worked hard for her career and didn't want it all tarnished by rumors of sexual favors being given. Still he didn't like having to hide their relationship either. He knew that things were different between men and women in the workplace, while he wouldn't have to worry about the negative feedback; she would – it was unjust, sexist and stupid but it was reality.

"I understand Livvy, everything at work is professional, above board, I promise. What happens after work though I can't promise the same," he said with a half-smile.

She smiled back, "I wouldn't want you to."

A knock came to the door and Cyrus poked his head in. "Hey you two, Liv, can I talk to Fitz for a minute."

"Sure, no problem, I will see you both later," Olivia cast one look back at Fitz before leaving.

"What's up Cy?"

Cyrus took a seat and began, "Listen Fitz, you know I don't beat around the bush, I'm very direct, so I'll just tell you," he took a deep breath before continuing, "I got a call from HR, they have this ethics violation complaint they are investigating and your name came up…Now I'm sure it will all blow over as some type of mix up or mistake but in the meantime, you need to be prepared to be called into an interview with an employee investigator."

Fitz chuckled nervously; this had to be some type of joke. "What are you talking about Cy? What kind of ethics violation?"

"A sexual harassment complaint has been filed against you. The accuser alleges that she was told that if she slept with you, she would be guaranteed Liv's spot on the RAWW articles. She says she slept with you but you still gave it to Liv and now she feels like she was used by you. It was classic quid pro quo."

"That's a damned lie Cyrus and you know it. You know that's not me, I would never; I could never do something like that. Who is it? Who is saying it?" he was furious, trying to think of who would say that about him. He wanted to face his accuser; to confront this ridiculous accusation and shut down the investigation with the truth.

"Fitz, it's Amanda Tanner….and…..she claims that she has proof."

**(OK I admit this was really long and a lot of things happened in this chapter. I toyed with the idea of breaking it up into two chapters but I thought that would be no fun. So I hope you liked it but even if you didn't, I hope you will tell me what you didn't like about it:))**


	7. Dating Rule: Stop Looking for Perfection

**Dating Rule: Stop Looking For Perfection**

His fingers couldn't move fast enough to keep up with the words pouring feverishly out of his mind. He was in a zone. Page after page, hour after hour, thoughts and ideas he had toyed around with but had not yet committed to paper until today; a day when an overwhelming feeling to write came over him. When he got like this he could easily forego food and sleep; nothing else mattered but emptying his thoughts before they vanished. Re-writes and edits would come later but the raw material; the framework of the storyline had to be written while it was still fresh.

Fitz never considered whether this book would be worthy of publishing; it really didn't matter to him. He didn't care if anyone ever read the story or even if they liked it. It was his story; his vision; a version of life as he saw it. Characters, circumstances, trials, happiness's, causes and effects – everything he invented as he spun a web so real and so deep that he enjoyed the challenge of helping them find a way out; finding a way to recover and renew themselves. It was a story that was inside of him, gnawing at him, desperate to come out. It was his outlet, his release of pent up emotions and feelings and today it had become his therapy.

When Fitz typed the last word of the 4th chapter he completed that day, he smiled to himself, feeling a sense of accomplishment; his own private celebration where he could admire his work and know that he had done something good. It felt wonderful to be writing again. It was like a part of him had awakened; what was dormant due to a lack of interest and motivation had come to life. The momentary healing process had worked.

As Fitz stood and stretched his muscles, he noted that it was already after 9:30PM – the whole day had passed by, without him realizing it. But it was still one of the best days he had in a while; he had been in a funk since the Amanda-thing broke and he was tired of feeling sorry for himself. He needed to get over it; this was just another hurdle life had thrown at him, and eventually he would climb over.

The magazine decided that he needed to work from home, especially since Amanda had returned to work and it wouldn't be good for them to be forced to interact with each other while the investigation into her claim continued. According to them, he was not being disciplined or punished; they only wanted to make sure that a hostile work environment was not created. Fitz was as accommodating as he could be; talking with the investigators for two hours answering questions, explaining his side and providing facts to support the reasons why her claim was frivolous. He couldn't tell whether they believed him or not but he hoped that this whole situation would soon blow over and he could get back to life as normal.

But now, since it had been three days, he wondered just where the investigation was headed and when they would update him or at least let him review this supposed evidence Amanda claimed to have.

For what seemed to be the 100th time, he picked up his phone and almost dialed her number – just wanting to hear her voice; just wanting to talk to her about anything and about everything. He missed her but she wanted space and he promised to give it to her. He owed it to her, especially after pretty much pulling the rug out from under her. She automatically believed that he was an innocent, a target of some type of malicious scheme a 'psycho-girl' dreamed up to ruin him. She was ready to do battle for him; to do whatever it took to clear his name; to see that he got justice.

He'd never forget the look in her eyes when the realization of who he was and what he had done hit her. It was enough to melt him where he stood, to make him recoil and hide away in shame. The act itself wasn't what bothered him; it was the fact that he had let her down; disappointed her, when she had unwavering confidence in him. Looking in her eyes, all of his past ugly deeds came rushing upon him and he hardly felt like the good guy she wanted.

Olivia was the first woman Fitz cared about enough to put value on what she thought of him. He wanted her approval. Her opinion mattered and to know that he had lessened in her eyes saddened him. He remained held up in his house, not wanting to talk or see anyone. There was no communication with the outside world beyond the daily emails he sent to her for the article. The responses he sent were incomplete and insincere, crappy work but he was confident she would fill in the blanks for what he was lacking.

He needed a shower and some fresh air, all of a sudden feeling claustrophobic by the walls in his own house. The water would feel good against his skin, covering every part him, streaming down his body and maybe it would be enough, so that when he emerged he could start to feel clean.

XXXXXX

"_Livvy, not everything Amanda is saying is a lie – some of it is…true."_

"_Before you came to City, it must be over 7 months ago, I was in a real bad place. I have a friend Lincoln – we've been friends since childhood. He hit rock bottom; he was heavy into the entertainment scene; even though we promised each other we wouldn't go that route; we had seen too much of it when were young and it was real, real bad. But he got back into it, too much into it, with the drugs, alcohol, partying. I was the one he would call when he didn't know where he was at 2AM; I was the one he would call crying for no reason except that the past was coming back to haunt him. And I helped him, I had to, since I was the one who encouraged him to get involved with it in the first place. But I guess after I thought we both got out, he fell back in."_

"_I helped him get sober, get to rehab; he relapsed a couple times but I kept helping him. I was giving so much to him that my own life was spiraling out of control; some days I didn't know whether I was coming or going, I was just so out of it. I was stuck in the past, feeling guilty; trying to take responsibility for his life and for mine. I was missing days at work…Cy covered for me as long as he could but I knew it was only a matter of time before the magazine got rid of me. I was drinking more and more just so I could calm my mind and just go to sleep…Mellie was no help; her answer was "don't' call me until you get your shit together". _

"_One day out of the blue, Amanda shows up on my doorstep; she had been missing me at work and came by to see how I was doing. I honestly don't even remember much about that day. I just remember that she just listened while I unloaded my troubles on her. I don't remember everything I said, but I remember feeling…good…that I could talk to someone without feeling judged or criticized. I was thankful for her…I remember she came by the next weekend and I thought she just wanted to talk again…I thought we were becoming friends. But I soon realized that she was an enabler. She encouraged the drinking…I think she liked me in my weakened state because then I would do things she knew I wouldn't normally do, like have sex with her, which I did, twice. I knew it was wrong as soon as it happened and I swear I don't know if I was lonely, horny or just plain stupid because I wasn't even attracted to her. I told her that it was a mistake and I only wanted her as a friend. She said she understood…I thought she understood."_

"_I got myself together and worked my ass off at the magazine. I rarely talked to Amanda after that except in passing. We never went out or dated, we didn't have a relationship and I never promised her anything. This article is our brainchild – me and Cy – and we had to sell it to the magazine until they agreed and they gave it to me and then…then they let me have you….."_

XXXXXX

Olivia typed the same word for the 5th time, wanting to abandon the document all together but forcing herself to concentrate on the response to the question from one of the readers – a woman who regretted sleeping with the guy on the first date and now he couldn't understand why she wanted to slow things down by invoking the abstinence policy until they knew each other better. Olivia almost typed something nasty as her response but she figured calling the woman 'stupid' wouldn't go over very well.

She sighed as she felt a headache coming on and realizing that her stress level would continue to make her unproductive. She looked back at the question and almost laughed out loud as she could now identify with the 'stupid' woman. Hadn't she tried to do the same thing? Even worse, she tried to sleep with Fitz and they hadn't even had a first date! She propositioned him because she was outrageously attracted to him and she wanted to take a risk but she really didn't even know him. Had she had her way, they would have made a big mistake – ruining their friendship and any possibility of anything more. But he stopped them. He stopped her from doing something she would have regretted later and how did she repay him? What was her 'thank-you' to him? She got mad and gave him the silent treatment for almost two weeks.

When she finally felt they could move forward and pursue something more, this Amanda Tanner thing popped up. His explanation played over and over in her mind, reminding her how naïve she had been, assuming that he never had a relationship with Amanda; that he would never….Never what?….Sleep with a woman? That was ridiculous; of course he slept with women. He was a very attractive man who probably had many women throwing themselves at him all the time. So then why was she angry at him? Why did she feel like he let her down in a profound way? Why had she pushed him away yet again when she knew he needed a friend, especially now when everything seemed to be stacked against him?

Expectation of Perfection. At EW, Olivia wrote feature article about women looking for the 'perfect' man. The magazine had polled over 100 single women and discovered that their criteria for the ideal mate listed multiple items that were either superficial or inconsequential to a lasting relationship. He had to be 6'7"; he had to have green eyes; he had to drive a BMW 7 Series – all nice to have's but no guarantee of happiness. So while it was important for women to have standards, some were setting their expectations so high that they ended up sabotaging potentially good relationships because they were still searching for the 'perfect' man.

Olivia thought she had beat the odds, she had found the perfect man; Fitz was perfect to her in every way that mattered. She thought back to the night she stayed with him; his only thought was to bring out her passion, to show her pleasure; his selflessness so genuine and apparent. It was an amazing night; a night of firsts for her because she had never connected with a man in that way; she had never felt so much desire for a man. She remembered the feeling of security and hope; two words that she could not use to describe any relationship she had in the past. The way he treated her; the way he cared for her; he was better than any man she had known, he was just….perfect.

Discovering a kink in his armor meant he no longer met her unrealistic expectation of perfection. He never lied or pretended to be something he wasn't but in her mind, she had made him perfect. Putting people in that impossible category, however, made it difficult to accept when they made very human mistakes. And now Olivia was punishing him for something in his past, something he had done before he even knew her. She frowned at herself, feeling the headache coming on stronger; the confusion, the hurt and the frustration settling in.

She was searching through her desk drawers for some headache medicine when there was a knock at her door, "What!" she yelled much more forcefully than she intended to.

Quinn peaked her head in, "I'm sorry Liv, is this a bad time?" she said skittishly.

Olivia, feeling contrite, immediately stood and walked over to Quinn to invite her in the office. "No it's not Quinn, I'm sorry for sounding rude; I just have a horrible headache."

"It's OK."

"So how can I help you?"

Quinn shifted her weight from one foot to another; obviously nervous about what she needed to say. Olivia sat back down and watched her patiently until she gathered the courage to speak.

She took a deep breath and Quinn began in that rapid fire manner of hers, "I know I'm not supposed to know anything about this…I mean it's none of my business….it's confidential but…but…I really like Fitz…I like you Liv…and these last few days without him with you…I mean, it's just been…weird…And I know it has something to do with Amanda and her accusing Fitz of doing something but…Fitz is a good guy…he doesn't deserve to be a target of Amanda's so I want to help….I want to help him…so I got you this…I'm sure you will know how to use it to help him."

Quinn struggled to calm her breath as she placed a file down in front of Olivia. She had just done something that would automatically get her fired but the rush of excitement; the thrill of the clandestine operation was worth it.

Olivia opened the file and quickly skimmed the documents. She looked up at Quinn in shock, "Quinn, how did you?...Where did you?..."

Quinn smiled. "Cyrus shares the same storage room with HR. Their files are kept in the same place. I have access to the cabinets with personnel files…It's good information in there Liv….use it to help him."

Olivia smiled for the first time in days. "I will Quinn…and thank you." She looked back at the documents. Fitz definitely needed help.

XXXXXX

She missed her deadline and knew that tomorrow there would be hell to pay but she didn't care. She spent the rest of her day making phone calls and doing research on the Internet. She was exhausted and ready to go home. As she exited her office, she stopped short noticing that Cyrus' office light was still on.

"Cyrus I need to talk to you," Olivia had said as she walked into his office and closed the door.

"What is it?" Cyrus asked in his usual stressed-out tone that Olivia had learned to ignore.

"What's going on? With Fitz' case I mean."

"Liv you know I can't talk about that with you. If Fitz chose to tell you then that's his prerogative but this is supposed to be kept confidential."

"Cyrus come on…he's my partner…we've been communicating through email and it's getting frustrating. Things can't go on like this forever."

"I know Liv…I know…Sally has me mapping out alternatives in the event that he doesn't come back."

"What?" Liv couldn't believe the magazine was giving up on him like that. It was a betrayal to him and to them.

"They don't want to hash out a legal battle with Amanda and they definitely don't want the bad publicity from this whole situation. It's a business Liv. There's no room for emotional ties and sentiment."

"Nor loyalty evidently," she concluded sarcastically.

"Listen Liv, it just really doesn't look good for him, so if you have any ideas on the direction for your piece of the article in the event he doesn't come back, let me know. I love Fitz like a son but in the end we have to move on…Fitz has a multitude of options available to him; he'll bounce back, he can take care of himself."

"He's being set up Cy," Olivia surprised even herself by the words she had not yet said aloud to anyone. She had been thinking about it for a while now but dared not to speak it without a certain measure of proof.

"What!"

"Calm down Cy…it's just my gut…it's telling me he's being set up."

Cyrus regarded her intently. He wondered if she was speaking out of emotion or if he should put any weight to her words. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe in Fitz' innocence but the pressure he was receiving from the senior executives was putting him in a bad position. Sexual harassment complaints were always so damned tricky; making sure the complainant was treated fairly and impartially, while still respecting the presumed innocence of the accused party. No matter whose side was chosen, it was certain that there would be negative consequences. They preferred to wash their hands of the whole thing; let Fitz out of his contract and dismiss him all together.

"If you believe that Liv, then you need to encourage him to get the proof that he needs because if not he will soon need to hire himself an attorney."

XXXXXX

It was 1AM. Fitz woke with a start to the loud, persistent knocking on his front door. He checked the time again to make sure he read it right. Who would be coming over at this time?

Fitz struggled to get to his front door and when he looked through the peep hole he was shocked to see who awaited him. He quickly opened the door.

Olivia walked in with another guy he had never seen before. The guy was carrying a laptop bag while pulling a cart stacked with other pieces of equipment on it. "I tried calling you several times," Olivia said.

"I'm sorry, I turned off my phone," he explained and when she gave him a weird look he said, "I just wanted to get some sleep." He had a big argument with his father, which ended in him hanging up in Gerry's face. When Gerry kept trying to call him back, Fitz turned off his phone.

Fitz turned his attention to the guy with Olivia, who as yet had said nothing. "Livvy, who is this?"

"This is Huck. We worked together at EW before he got laid off. He worked in our IT department but he is an expert at finding out practically anything you need with his equipment. He's here to help you. Where can he set up?"

Fitz was still a bit groggy from sleep so he had a little trouble grasping what was going on. "Ummm….there is a guest room right over there it has a desk he can use…I guess. Livvy, can I talk to you in private?"

"Sure."

She directed Huck to the room he could use and followed Fitz into the kitchen. "What is this Livvy? Who is this guy and why is he here?"

"He's here to help you because you need help," she repeated. "You're about to get fired unless you can prove that Amanda is setting you up". She waited for the magnitude of his situation to dawn on him before continuing, "I don't think she is doing this alone and if that's true, then we both know who is possibly helping her. We need an expert, someone who knows what he is doing and how to find what we are looking for. That's Huck."

Olivia previously told him about Mellie coming to her office that day and the timing of her words and the accusation from Amanda seemed a bit too coincidental. At the very least it was an avenue that needed to be investigated.

He took a step toward her but she took a step back. Her body language told him everything; a defensive wall was coming up before his eyes. She was closing herself off from him; not ready or willing to pursue anything personal with him right now. She was here merely as a friend trying to help him – nothing more. He nodded his head in understanding and he accepted it.

He was resigned. "OK…what do you think he will find?"

"If it's out there, Huck can find it. He can do telephone taps, email hacking, surveillance and other things that I'd rather not get into right now. Just know that he is good, very good and he works quickly. He has agreed to take on your case Fitz and we are lucky to have him."

"I'm lucky to have you," he said before he could stop himself. She sucked in her breath but shook her head to dismiss his words.

"Can we…can we put on a pot of coffee? I think he will need it. It might help him stay awake although I don't think he really sleeps anyway," she had successfully diverted the conversation. Deflect. Diversion. Retreat – a new pattern, a routine she employed to protect herself from him.

XXXXXX

"How did you get this information?" Fitz asked in disbelief as he looked over copies of the notes the employee investigators had taken regarding his case.

Olivia cleared her throat. "Fitz I really think the less you know about how I get information the better off we are. That way if you ever are called to answer for it; you won't be forced to lie."

She handed him another folder, "And this is her personnel file…I've already read it and you should too."

He leaned back in his chair and stared at her in awe. The manner in which she had taken charge of everything and her determination to help him was unlike what he had seen in her before. He found this side of her very enticing, irresistible even. The danger was, he noted, that she was detaching herself – either from the situation, from him or from both.

She knew that look and it was unnerving. She would need to leave soon for her own sanity. It did her no good to remain in his presence like this. She quickly continued, "So the findings of their investigation are in here. Pay special attention to the transcript of Amanda's interview."

She was leaning over him, directing him to a particular page in the file. He was filled with her scent. An intoxicating vanilla scent that was unique to her. He inhaled, desperate to hold on to the memory of her for as long as he could. He didn't know if he would get close to her again; whether she would let him back in but in the interim he would have to be satisfied for the faint wisps of her scent that would linger in his home once she left.

She caught him looking at her and stood up from the table quickly, "What we don't have yet is the evidence Amanda claims to have. We need it. But I don't quite know how to get that yet. Why don't you take a few moments to look through the files and I'll check on Huck." She quickly walked away without waiting for his response.

XXXXXX

She was leaving.

"You're in good hands...I'm going to leave," she said as she packed up her things.

"How long do you think all this will take?"

"I don't know…Huck doesn't like to give timelines. According to him, it takes however long it takes. But he knows that we are racing against the clock…So he will work as fast as he can and then we will be out of your hair," she gave him a shaky smile, trying to lighten the mood. The atmosphere had become thick and tense.

"Livvy, it's late, it's 3 in the morning. Why don't you just stay here? There is a spare bedroom. It's too late to be on the road to your house. It's not safe."

"Fitz I need to go…I just, I need to go…," she was breathless, he was standing too close and she couldn't think clearly. "Please."

"Don't…..don't hate me Livvy, just don't," the vulnerability in his voice was unmistakable and it touched her. She didn't want to put words to why she was pushing him away. She didn't want to admit to the fear; an emotion that she didn't ever wanted associated with him, with them. But the fear was real; she didn't know who he really was; how much his past affected who he was today or whether his past would challenge them in the future. She couldn't speak about the doubts and uncertainties. She didn't want to hear herself say it out loud. She had only begun to reconcile it in her own mind and it still had not seemed rational, logical or even reasonable.

She looked up at him. "I could never….I don't hate you Fitz. I don't," her voice was tender, full of affection. He knew he had let her down and she couldn't tell him how to fix it or why she even needed him to fix it. She just knew that the image she built up of him in her mind was changing and it was difficult for her to readjust.

"Will you?...Are you?..." he trailed off. She didn't need him to finish the thought. She knew what he was trying to say, without him having to say it.

"Right now it's not a good time for you and I to be anything but co-workers. People are watching you; Amanda is trying to ruin you and your character is being called into question. So until we can figure all of this out, I don't think we can even consider anything else….It's too much of a risk."

He searched her eyes and after several minutes he finally said, "You're right." He took two steps back from her, putting what seemed to be a fathom of distance between them.

She didn't expect that response. She almost shivered; it was like the air had shifted as he removed his warmth from her. She expected him to argue, put up a fight. She wanted him to push her; make her believe that he could erase all the fears, the doubts and uncertainties. She wanted him to give her hope. Why was he being so accepting? After not seeing her for several days, she thought he would at least try to hug and kiss her. She frowned and tilted her head in confusion.

"Goodnight Livvy, text me when you get home….just let me know you made it safely," he said without coming any closer. He respected her space and wouldn't compromise it. "Thank you for your help Livvy," he concluded.

"You're welcome…I'll text you when I make it in. Goodnight." Olivia said in a voice that betrayed a clear lack of conviction. She shook her head at the conflicting emotions she was experiencing. Up and down, she was in and then she was out; she wanted him and then she pushed him away. What did she really want? Her indecisiveness was frustrating. _It was true_, she thought, _relationships exposed your weaknesses and taught you a lot about yourself_. Her sad reality? She was learning just how adept she could become in sabotaging her own potential relationships.

**(A/N: Hello readers. I honestly did not realize it had been that long since I updated this story. Is anyone out there still reading this one? LOL. Thank you for the Guest Reviews and your comments. Thank you for those who sent PM to check on me. It has been a long time and I do apologize for the delay. So what are your thoughts on Olivia? She took charge of the investigation easily but can't seem to get it together with Fitz. Let me know your thoughts..Thanks for hanging in there with me. Feedback, criticisms and suggestions are most welcome.)**


	8. Dating Dilemma: Maybe He's Just Not

**Maybe He's Just Not Into You**

He wasn't happy to see her. And it stung, hard. It registered deep and shook her to the core because no matter what, through it all, the one thing she could always depend on was that spark; a gleam in his eye; a secret tell to show that he was happy to see her. The look that made her feel amazingly beautiful; like she completed his world. But it wasn't there; this look was foreign, unknown and unlike him. There was no moment of connection; no flash of familiarity; the space she asked for had turned into isolation.

She had taken much care with her appearance; the event was important to him and she wanted to make a good impression. She would be meeting one of his closest friends, Lincoln, and his father, Gerry, for the first time. When she walked in, accompanied by Alexis and Harrison, her eyes immediately searched him out, desperate for his company. But the greeting was cold, empty, polite, as if they were strangers meeting for the first time; as if he hadn't known how much she cared for him; as if he didn't care in return. She felt vulnerable, unsure of herself or why she was there. She took a deep breath to steady herself; she wouldn't cry, she would calm down, enjoy the evening and hope the unpleasant feeling would eventually fade.

Her conversation with Lincoln was enjoyable; she liked his company. Several of his mannerisms reminded her of Fitz and it was easy to see why they were close friends. His energy and excitement was boiling over as he saw his vision come to life; it was such a worthy endeavor and Olivia complimented his hard work but Lincoln refused to take all the credit; Fitz had been his lifeline. Olivia's eyes darted to Fitz' side profile and she had to agree; Fitz had been her lifeline as well.

As the evening wore on, she found herself watching for him, waiting for him to come to her; hoping that she could will him to her side; but he never did. At one point she scanned the room and, noticed that he was nowhere around. She panicked, wondering if he would have left without saying goodbye. She excused herself from her sister and went in search for him. She finally located him in a small garden on the far side of the venue. It was hidden, undetectable to the passerby. She almost didn't see him; the dark shadows cloaking his tux but he walked under the light and then she saw him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked him from behind. He turned and gave her a sideways glance before turning back around. He was hiding from everyone, especially her.

When she got no response, she continued, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Olivia, you can go back to the party," he responded gruffly.

She walked closer to him. She didn't want to walk away, not again, not this time. With everything that happened to them this week, all the emotions they were feeling and all the things that had not been said, they needed this; she needed this; it was all or nothing for her now.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

"Fine, you stay, I'm leaving," he responded harshly as he turned around with a fierce look in his eyes that grounded her. He was walking away; he didn't want to talk to her and he was leaving her all alone; much like the way she had left him….alone….

XXX

**The Previous Monday**

If there was the slightest inclination to underestimate Huck's abilities, they were all gone now. What he had accomplished in the matter of a week was nothing short of miraculous. Not only had he dissected every aspect of Amanda's pitiful life – starting from the abusive boyfriend to the brief hospital stay for the botched suicide attempt and the borderline addiction to prescription medication – but now he had uncovered enough information to discredit her evidence against Fitz.

Amanda had provided a series of emails, all originating from an email used by Fitz, which detailed their 'arrangement' and the supposed promises he made to her. On the surface, the evidence appeared damming; a slam dunk win for her, at least until Huck got involved. He was able to determine without a doubt that Fitz' home computer had been hacked and his email compromised. He traced the IP addresses and confirmed that the activity did not originate from Fitz' computer.

The dilemma was: did Fitz simply want to discredit her or to ruin her. It was a dilemma for Fitz because it was evident that Amanda was not a well person. And he didn't know if he could live with the possibility of being the one who pushed her over the edge. Yet, it was unfair how she targeted him, when he had done nothing to deserve such treatment. He wanted to expose her for the liar she was and make sure she knew how she affected his life. If they merely disproved her statement; then she may do the same thing to someone else. And there was still the question of who was helping her, which Huck had not yet uncovered. The evidence did not lead to Mellie, although Fitz still suspected her involvement in some way.

Olivia and Huck were staring at him waiting for a response. "I need to think about it…I can't decide right now. Give me 24 hours."

**The Previous Tuesday**

"Fitz, you need to calm down and come back in there," Benjamin told him as he grabbed him by the arm before Fitz snatched away.

"I'm not going back in there Bugsy and you and Gerry can go to hell with all your shady plans," Fitz yelled. They were outside of Gerry's home, after having been summoned there, with Thomas, without an explanation for the request. It was the middle of the week and an inconvenience for them all but as was expected they all showed up, because when Gerry called, you came.

"Our Father is trying to help you…You're in a mess with this girl and you don't seem to realize it. She could potentially drag this entire family's name through the mud all for some revenge against you. We always protect the family Fitz, you know that."

He did know that. He knew what his father was like; what he was capable of; what he would do to protect the empire he built. He shouldn't be angry; it was expected. "I can handle this…I can fix it…I don't need Gerry or you interfering. Just let me handle it." At that moment, Fitz realized he was protecting Amanda's life; she wasn't worth the effort and she didn't deserve his help but he would never devalue a human life the way his family could so easily.

Benjamin was silent; gauging Fitz' ability to do what he said. Thomas, then, came out the house and walked over to them saying, "Gerry's looking for you Fitz. You need to come back inside."

"I will…as soon as Bugsy agrees with me…" Fitz waited for his brother's compliance. Gerry listened to Benjamin; he was the only one Gerry listened to. They were so much alike in their mannerisms and thinking but Benjamin could at least still be reasoned with.

"Alright," Benjamin finally said, "But you have to make it go away Fitz, completely."

"Thanks Bugsy…I will…I already have a guy working on it."

**The Previous Wednesday**

Fitz felt good. It was like things were finally going his way. He had spent several hours with Huck going over the strategy to get Amanda to confess that she made everything up. It was the best way to make sure the entire matter was dropped and she could never try to pursue something against him in the future; she would discredit herself.

He hadn't seen or talked to Olivia in the past two days. She called and checked in with Huck but continued to only communicate with him through email; but it was time for that to change. Fitz could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and he wanted to share the plan with Olivia; he wanted her to be as enthusiastic as he was and see the possibilities that were opening up for them.

He knew Olivia always lunched at a small bistro across the street from the job. He would surprise her and meet her there; maybe they could have lunch together and finally talk.

When Olivia walked into the bistro, she sighed at the number of patrons; it was full. She looked at her watch and almost left, figuring that it would take too long to get her lunch. She stepped out of line and was about to leave when she bumped into someone familiar.

"Olivia! How are you? Long time, no see."

"Jake how are you?...It has been a long time," Olivia smiled in response to his enthusiasm. He had always been a nice guy, easily likable.

"You're not leaving are you…I just got here…Can we have lunch together?" Jake asked and when he noticed the look of apprehension flare up in her eyes, he quantified his statement, "Just as friends, nothing more."

"Jake, it's much too busy here…I don't think we could even find a table," Olivia said nervously. All the warning bells were going off but she didn't know why. Once she told him they couldn't date, he never pursued it and never did anything untoward. She shouldn't feel uncomfortable but she did and once again, whenever she was in his presence she felt like she was cheating on Fitz.

"No hey look, there's a table right over there…It's perfect by the window…Why don't you go secure it and I'll order for us?"

Olivia bit her lip in worry. She went back and forth in her mind trying to figure out the best course of action. In the end, she figured she was putting too much into a simple lunch meet up. It was nothing really and she should just relax. "Ok," she said as she gave him her order and found the table.

Lunch with Jake was more relaxing than Olivia thought. He was funny and charming. He must have known how tense she was because he spent the entire time telling jokes or stories to make her laugh. She hadn't laughed so hard in a long time and it felt good. With everything that was going on and how stressful life had become; it was nice to forget it all for a moment and have fun.

And that was how Fitz found her. It wasn't only that she was having lunch with Jake; it was the way she looked when she was with him. She was laughing; true spontaneous laughter that only came when the feeling of gaiety was natural. Her body language was open and inviting; not tense or guarded. She looked free and Fitz realized that he couldn't remember her looking like that with him. She didn't feel that way with him. Everything with them had always been so edgy and uptight that there were very few moments where they could relax and be happy. That was the word he was looking for; she looked happy. He turned around and left the bistro; hoping that she never saw him and never knew that he had come there in search of her. It was just best to let it all go.

Jake's head popped up and he said, "Oh isn't that your friend, the one you write the article with….what's his name? Fitz, right?" Olivia had only told Jake about her professional relationship with Fitz, nothing more.

Olivia turned around in shock. She searched the bistro for him but didn't see him anywhere. She excused herself and went outside to see where he could be but she saw nothing. He had vanished. Had he come there to see her? Why didn't he tell her he was coming? Did he see her with Jake? _Shit_, Olivia thought. She went back to the table and retrieved her phone, telling Jake she had an emergency and would talk to him later. She called Fitz several times but it kept going to voicemail. She left him multiple text messages asking him to call her. But she had the sinking feeling; a hole forming in her core telling her that he was done and he had decided to let it all go.

**The Previous Thursday**

Huck told her that Fitz had not been home. He had no idea where he was but if she wanted him to, it wouldn't take much to find him. Olivia told him no; obviously Fitz felt like he needed this time away and she didn't want to infringe on his privacy. She would be patient; allow him to take whatever time he needed and wait for him to return.

Fitz was ready to put the plan he devised with Huck into action; that had not changed. Other things in his life had changed, certain things were not going his way; but this he could finally control; this could finally be a win for him. He was momentarily distracted but he needed to act quickly or his family might think he failed and take matters into his own hand.

He was headed home to retrieve some documents when he got a call from Cyrus asking him to come to his home later that evening. Fitz tried to get out of it; postpone it for another time, he had a lot to do; but Cyrus was insistent that he come tonight. It was related to his case and it was important.

When Fitz got there he was surprised to find Olivia's car already parked in the driveway. He had no idea why she needed to be here if it was related to his case. Maybe Cyrus needed to talk about the future of the article or finding his replacement; that would be the only thing that would involve her.

"Fitz, thanks for coming," Cyrus said in greeting as he directed him to the study where he found Olivia sitting on the couch. "Have a seat," Cyrus suggested and he complied by selecting a seat on the other side of the room. Olivia noted his body language; he was closed off; unbending. He barely greeted her, avoided eye contact and now he was sitting as far away from her as he could.

Fitz addressed Cyrus, "What's going on? Why am I here?"

"I wanted to speak to you both away from the office because I need to ask you to do something that is going to appear strange and unusual, but nevertheless, I need you both to be on board…I need you both to stand down on what you're doing; stop your investigation into Amanda Tanner. Leave it alone. Let it go."

Fitz and Olivia shared a look of shock and disbelief. How could they just let this go and allow Fitz to suffer the consequences of a false claim? They were both about to voice their refusals when Cyrus raised a hand to stop them and continued, "She's gone…Amanda Tanner is gone…where, I can't say…how, I can't say….Just know that everything has been taken care of and she's done…It's all over…Fitz is in the clear."

"Well I guess that's a good thing…What does this mean for Fitz?" Olivia asked after a marked period of silence.

"It means that everything goes back to normal. There's no black mark on your record. Your reputation with the magazine remains untattered. You can start back to work tomorrow, if you're ready."

Fitz' mind was reeling. What happened to Amanda? Did his family do something? What did Cyrus know? So many questions. Did they expect him to just pretend that everything was okay, when it clearly was not? He stood and said, "Thanks Cyrus for your help…I'll call you tomorrow about returning to work…I just need….I'll let you know." He walked out of the room in a daze; what had they done?

He almost made it to his car but he heard her calling for him. When she caught up to him, she asked "Are you alright Fitz? This is good news isn't it?"

He could barely look at her. His voice was strained when he finally found the words to speak, "It seems that way…I've got to go…Thanks for your help Olivia."

XXX

Friday morning came and there was no word from Fitz. Olivia kept checking in with Cyrus but he said he would let her know if there were any updates. Even Cyrus had a look of worry on his face and that made Olivia even more anxious. Where was he? What was he doing?

"Huck have you seen him?" Olivia asked when she called him. She was tired of waiting around to hear word.

"I saw him earlier this morning. He helped me pack up my stuff. He…well he didn't look right...not like he normally looks. Something's wrong with him."

"I know and he won't let me in to help him. He won't respond to my messages. I don't know what to do?" she said desperately.

"You're gonna have to let him be. He knows you care. He'll contact you when he's ready. You have to leave him alone…Something happened but he's not ready to talk about it."

The gnawing feeling, ever-present since she knew Fitz saw her with Jake, kept intensifying; a hole that kept expanding; she was losing control of everything. She disconnected the call with Huck; put her head down and just cried.

XXX

….."I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

"Fine, you stay, I'm leaving," he responded harshly as he turned around with a fierce look in his eyes that grounded her. He was walking away; he didn't want to talk to her and he was leaving her all alone; much like the way she had left him….alone….

He was walking away but she couldn't let him. Everything in her was crying out for him and she couldn't just let him go. Before he could walk past her, she grabbed his arm tight; whatever power she had left would be spent on making him understand how much she loved him.

"Fitz wait please," she wouldn't pretend and hide the desperation in her voice. She wanted and needed him; more than anything in her life and she no longer had the will to control her emotions.

He let her stop him, "Olivia, just let it go…It's all done…It's over…Just let it go," he said quietly looking at her hand grasping his arm.

"I can't Fitz…I can't…please don't go….please just stay and talk to me."

"There is nothing to talk about…I appreciate everything you did for me… You got Huck to do work I never thought possible but that's all done now…It's all cleared up. We don't owe each other anything."

When she released his arm, he put his hands in his pockets and walked to the other side of the garden. It was away from her but he hadn't tried to leave like he did before and that meant something.

"You saw me with Jake."

"I did."

"Fitz, it was just a coincidence that he was there when I went in for lunch. It didn't mean anything. He knows that all we will ever be are friends."

"It doesn't matter Olivia."

"It does matter! It matters to me that you think I don't love you or I don't care about you or that I would run to Jake the moment things get rocky between us. It matters to me that you don't trust me anymore and you can barely look at me. That matters!"

"Olivia I'm done caring about it either way. I've spent most of this relationship chasing you, pushing you to be with me and I'm tired of it. It shouldn't be this hard and if it is then maybe it's not worth it. I couldn't even get you to….never mind forget it," he cut off, shaking his head, convincing himself that it would do no good to bring it up; it would solve nothing.

"Say it Fitz…say it!"

He kept silent; looking at her from across the garden. He loved her; more than he loved anyone in his life. But this between them, now felt wrong. It now felt forced; not spontaneous, not natural, not free.

"Fitz, please…I need you to say it." It would pain her, she knew but it needed to be said. Every hurt feeling had to be exposed and brought to the light of day if they were ever going to heal and move past this.

"When I needed you most…when I needed a friend…you weren't there. You got me Huck and I'm thankful; I appreciate it but it never occurred to you that I would risk it all, take whatever consequences came my way, if you were with me, as my friend. But you shut yourself off from me; you penalized me for something that happened years ago before I even met you. You made me feel like I cheated on you; like I betrayed you…And that hurt; that hurt bad. It never really mattered to me what people thought – my family, friends, Cyrus, my-coworkers – I didn't care; they could say I was guilty, it didn't mean anything. But you….it's always mattered to me what you thought; you were the only one….and when you pushed me away…I felt as guilty as if I had done what I was accused of.

"When I saw you with Jake, I finally understood. I realized that the look on your face…you didn't have a concern in the world; nothing was weighing you down, giving you grief; you were happy and you were never that way with me. It was always problems, issues, crisis – our jobs, Mellie, Amanda; it was a lot to deal with….too much really. So if you felt you needed that; you needed to be with someone who didn't have all the baggage; then you should do it…you should do what is right for you…I want you to do it."

The tears were blinding her vision; scathing tears reminding her how stupid she had been; how careless she was to play with his emotions the way she did; thinking, always believing that he would wait till she got it right; that he just knew she cared about him and he would keep fighting for them, even when she wasn't. The tears were falling uncontrollably; she couldn't turn them off; her heart was breaking at the idea that he had given up on them; given up on her. Her thoughts were processing but she couldn't form them into words; everything was caught in her throat but she had to say something, anything; he had to stay with her.

"You're right….I left you when you needed me most. I got spooked and I ran. I do that with you and I'm sorry. I always assume that you understand why I do what I do as if that is some excuse for my horrible behavior but it's not. There is no excuse for it Fitz; there is no justifying what I've done to you. But I need you to know; you have to know…my feelings for you…the way I feel when I see you walk in the office everyday is more happiness than I can contain. The way my heart leaps when I hear you talk; when you say anything to me is indescribable. These past weeks without you at the office, killed me…I was on edge, snapping at everyone…even Quinn. I couldn't function without you Fitz. I needed you so bad, it scares me. I've never, ever felt so deeply for someone like I feel for you. I've never felt so connected to another person, where everything I think; everything I do is about you.

"I know I'm screwed up; I know I'm damaged and…..I don't deserve you but I want you. I want you and I love you and I need you to give me another chance. I need you to give us another chance. I'm demanding another chance; we're worth another change because no one….no one will ever love you the way I do Fitz and I need you to love me too."

Her chest was heaving as she struggled to calm her breath; exhausted ready to collapse; she had released it all. There was nothing left to say; nothing more to give; she was physically caught between the instinct to run and the need to stay. Because if she ran; if she walked away; if she let the shame and embarrassment override her feelings for him, she would literally die; it would be the end of her, so there was no place for pride; she would lay her dignity and self-respect down if it meant he would love her.

Fitz walked closer to her; one tentative step at a time. She said everything he wanted to hear; everything what he wanted and he believed her; but there would always be the question of how far she would go with him; whether she would push him away when it got hard. She was a runner for sure but she also loved him deeply and it was the most thrilling sensation he had ever known. He could never truly walk away; he loved her beyond reason an impossible concept considering the short time span they had been together but it was real just the same. It was more real than the air he breathed; just as sustaining; just as consuming.

He stopped when he was just a few steps away; never tearing his gaze away from her.

It was agony; not knowing what he would do, whether he would accept her, whether he believed her; everything rested in his hands and she had no choice but to wait for him to decide. She told herself that she would accept whatever decision he made; whether she won or lost, she could be proud of the fact that she had been honest and laid everything on the line; no matter what she did, whether it was the wrong or the right way, it had never been a mistake to fall in love with him.


	9. Dating Dilemma: Can Men and Women Just

**(A/N: Thanks to everyone requesting for me to update this story. It really motivated me to get a move on it. And to the Guest Reviewer who said they would bake me cookies if I updated, your offer worked. I want cookies so PM me so I can give you the address where to ship my treats. I'm just kidding. But thank you, thank you all. I continue to appreciate all of your comments, feedback and constructive criticisms. It's just great. So I hope you will continue to do so. Side Note: I'm so glad Scandal is back; I hope you are praying, like me, that Shonda let's Fitz take charge and be strong this season.)**

**Dating Dilemma: Can Men and Women Just Be Friends**

Unlike his brothers, Fitz had a sensitivity to the feelings of women. He learned it from the early years with his mother and the care from his sister, Lily. He wasn't harsh or indifferent; he wasn't callous towards their feelings and he never set out to intentionally hurt them. But sometimes as much as he tried, there was really no other way for him.

He didn't know how long he stood there staring at her; her tears silently breaking him down. The raw emotions of her voice, the intensity of her confession and the baring of her soul meant everything. No one had ever felt so deeply for him. He wanted so desperately to gather her up in his arms and allow them to melt into each other. But he couldn't do it. Something held him back; the hesitation he felt could not be ignored.

"Liv," he was surprised by the hoarseness in his own voice; the sentiment of the moment overtaking him. "I care about you Liv, I really do but….I can't commit to us right now." She cast her eyes downward, unable to hold his stare any longer. He didn't want her to bow in fear or humiliation. He gently raised her face, lifting her chin so their eyes could meet again. "We were attracted to each other, we jumped in too quickly and when times got hard, we fell apart. I don't want that to happen again….We need to go slow; can we just be friends for now?"

She took several breaths, still not trusting herself to speak.

"I'm not rejecting you or us Liv. But this is too fast….that's why we crashed and burned. We didn't give it a chance. Can we just slow down?"

"Friends?" she whispered, when she finally found her voice. In her mind, friendships were platonic, that meant he could date other women and she would have to stand by and watch it happen.

"Can we please do that?"

If that was what he wanted, she would give it to him. She nodded and said, "Just promise me one thing, if you…if you decide that you want to be with someone else, I'll understand, just tell me first. Don't let me be the last to know…Please, I don't think I could take that."

"Liv…I don't think there can be another woman that I could feel such a strong connection to, like you."

"I thought…I thought you hated me."

"I was just hurt Liv. I thought we were better than that. I thought you knew me and saw me for who I was; I didn't expect you to back away."

"I know Fitz…and I'm sorry. You have no idea how much I regret how I treated you. But I'm okay, I'm fine…It's good for us to be friends…that is what's best."

"You don't regret telling me how you felt, do you?"

"I don't…I don't regret it. I'm giving you my heart Fitz. Any other man would try to manipulate me, use it against me but not you. My heart is in your hands, I'll follow your lead and I trust you…I know you'll be the better man." Maybe it was foolhardy and dangerous to give him that kind of power over her but Olivia was not afraid. He was her endgame and even if it took a little more time, she was confident that they would be together.

XXXXXX

"Olivia."

"Mr. Grant, it's nice to meet you."

"Please call me Gerry…I have to say you are more beautiful than I imagined. It is really my pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you," Olivia said as she smiled. Gerry really knew how to charm women. He was a very attractive man; an older version of Fitz. But something behind his eyes was not as genuine. He was the kind of man who always had a hidden agenda.

"Can we go to the bar to get a drink?" he asked and without waiting for a reply, he commandeered her arm and led her to the open bar. "So how do you like working with my son?" he asked as he took a sip of scotch.

"I very much enjoy it. Fitz and I work well together as I'm sure you've heard. It's my understanding that you are very close to Cyrus."

"Ah, you do your homework…I like that. I do my homework too, Olivia Carolyn Pope. There is one thing that I can't quite figure out?"

Olivia gave him a questioning look and waited for him to continue.

"What I can't quite understand is why you are still at the magazine when that book you submitted a year ago for publishing is ready for press?" Gerry watched as a look of panic came across Olivia's face.

"How did you?...I didn't submit to your publishing house." Olivia's eyes darted nervously to make sure no one heard their conversation.

"Oh sweetheart you didn't have to submit it to my house in order for me to know about that. I know lots of things. I've also read it and its very, very good. So why did you halt the publishing?"

"I have my reasons….Gerry no one knows about it and I would prefer to keep it that way for now." Olivia was desperate. She tried to calm herself and mask her anxiety with a blank face; careful not to alarm anyone around them. She put a hand on his arm in an effort to evoke some type of fellow feeling from him.

He looked down at her hand and chuckled. "I'm not a cold man Olivia, despite what my children may have told you. It doesn't serve my interest to out you," he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "It'll just be our little secret."

Somehow sharing a secret with Gerry did not make her feel any better.

"Why does my life matter to you?"

"You matter to me because you matter to my son. You are the reason he is no longer with Mellie, am I right?"

"No you're not right…Fitz and Mellie not being together has nothing to do with me."

"Oh you're modest too. Come on Olivia, I have seen my son watch you all night and the looks he's giving us right now are enough to tell me that he's in love with you."

Olivia met Fitz's eyes from across the room and smiled. He smiled in return before turning back to his conversation. He was worried about her because she was with Gerry.

Olivia chuckled. "Now there you are completely wrong. I can confidently tell you that Fitz and I are just friends." She took another sip of her martini; she could feel Gerry staring at her.

"Ok no problem. I'll believe you….Nevertheless, being with you has at least cleared his head a bit. I never liked that Mellie girl or her family. I was happy Fitz got rid of her. So if your relationship with Fitz ever progresses beyond friendship, I want you to know that you have my support."

"Well thank you but I can't help but to think that your support comes with a price."

"You really do catch on quick. In this instance just consider me the loving father that I am. I love all my children and I only want their happiness, which is why I'm extremely thankful that the Amanda girl is gone. Can you imagine the damage she could have done to my son? Of course only if he didn't have you and your friend, what's his name Huck, helping him."

Olivia tilted her head, regarding him in a new light. "Is there anything you don't know?"

Gerry laughed. He really did enjoy talking to Olivia; she was refreshing and different from the cowering women that he usually came across. They were usually intimidated by his stature, position and wealth. Not so with Olivia, every time he challenged her she rose a foot taller. "For someone like me, knowledge of everything is a necessity….I wonder if you will have lunch with me next week."

"Why would I do that?" Olivia wasn't certain that Fitz would feel comfortable with her spending time with his father.

"I would say because I asked but I have a feeling that wouldn't matter to you. Believe it or not, people generally do what I tell them, no questions asked."

"You make it sound like your some Godfather type," she chuckled and said, "Are you going to make me an offer I can't refuse?" They both laughed at her corny joke. "I will say this; you are a very interesting man, Gerry."

"Well that's something, so does that mean you will have lunch with me…I'll tell you what if you're scared of spending time with me, you can bring Fitz along….If that makes you feel better."

"You think that by calling me a coward I will rise to the challenge and come without Fitz," she laughed again, "I like you…you make me laugh and you keep me on my toes…I'll think about the lunch offer and I will be talking to Fitz about it, just so you know….It was great meeting you Gerry but I need to rejoin my party. Thank you for the drink," she smiled, kissed his cheek and walked away.

XXXXXX

Lincoln was in his element. He could fit right in, schmoozing with the rich and famous; hustling them for money and feeling fine because it was for a good cause. He worked the room like a pro; he was smart, charming, interesting and on the whole very likable. When people liked you, they gave you more money.

He was so ecstatic by the evening, he could barely contain himself. He walked over to Fitz and patted him on the back. Fitz was in mid-sentence talking to Harrison when Lincoln approached. "Fitz, I got so much energy from this evening I can barely contain it. Everything has turned out perfectly. Can you believe it?"

Harrison and Fitz laughed. "It's all you Lincoln…it's all you," Fitz assured him.

"Thanks Fitz," Lincoln started and turning to Harrison he continued, "Ever since we were kids, this guy has been protecting and taking care of me. I owe him everything."

"No, you don't," Fitz quickly said. He was uncomfortable with the praise.

"He's just humble…So, I hope you don't mind me asking, but Olivia Pope, is she with someone? I mean if that's you Fitz, I'll back off not a problem. I just wanted to know if she was free."

Fitz and Harrison shared a look. Harrison cleared his throat; a comical expression forming on his face.

"We are friends but as I understand it she's taken," Fitz said firmly.

Lincoln looked at Harrison, wondering if he was the guy but Harrison quickly corrected him, "Not me Linc, not me."

Lincoln was confused by Fitz' cold response and some type of inside joke that was funny to Harrison. "Are you sure? Because it looks like she's available."

"Trust me she's not."

At that moment, Olivia, Alexis and Lily walked up to join them. The DJ announced that it was the last dance of the evening and Lincoln seized the moment.

"Olivia, may I have this dance?"

"Of course Lincoln, I would love to," Olivia responded. The scowl on Fitz's face intensified as he watched them walk away.

"Come on brother, let's go dance," Lily said as she encouraged Fitz to take her to the dance floor. They were followed by Alexis and Harrison.

"So what's with the deep frown?" Lily asked when she observed the sour look on Fitz's face as he kept stealing looks at Olivia dancing with Lincoln.

"It's nothing Lily."

"It's not nothing Fitz. You're standing by watching the woman you love dance with your best friend as he tries to hit on her."

Fitz looked at her with one raised eyebrow. He couldn't quite to tell her that she didn't know what she was talking about; she could always read him well. It was easier not to respond.

"The question is, why aren't you two together?"

"We're just friends."

"How long are you going to keep saying that? Until you finally believe it? If you were just friends, you wouldn't be thinking about ripping the head off of your friend for touching Olivia."

"There's more to it Lily…things you don't know."

"Whatever it is Fitz, you better fix it fast. Olivia is a beautiful, intelligent woman; she can only wait for you for so long."

"Just let it be, Lily."

"I'll do you one last favor this evening baby brother." Fitz didn't expect it but his sister cut in on Lincoln and Olivia, allowing them to switch partners.

"Sorry about that," Fitz said when Olivia was in his arms.

Olivia smiled up at him; it was their first dance together all evening. "Oh it's no problem. I like Lincoln he's nice; it's good to have close friends like that."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Did you enjoy the evening?"

"Yeah it was fine."

"Everyone seems very proud of you both."

"Yeah, sure."

His curt responses worried Olivia; something was wrong. What bothered her more was that he seemed fine before they came together. "Ok, what the hell is wrong with you Fitz? What did I do now?...You have such a cold attitude and I don't know if it's me or something else."

He remained silent but she probed further, "I thought you said we were friends? Why can't you talk to me then?"

"I don't want to talk about it Liv. Nothing's wrong…let's just finish this dance so this evening can be over."

Because her emotions had been all over the place the entire night, Olivia took his attitude personally and said "I didn't realize that dancing with me was such a chore for you….Why don't we end it now that way we don't have to endure each other's company any longer. Good night Fitz. Thanks for a great evening."

She walked off the dance floor; leaving Fitz standing there. She sent a quick text to her sister that she would take a taxi home. She just needed this entire night to be over with.

XXXXXX

Olivia was thankful for the taxi ride home; it allowed her to sit alone, in silence, while fresh angry tears flowed. She was so tired of crying; it seemed that she cried more this evening then she had in over a year. She tried to make them stop but as hard as she tried more tears came. It was another reason she was thankful for the solitude; no one else had to witness her weakened state.

Her phone had been ringing over and over again since she left the venue. She hadn't bothered to look down to see who was calling. As angry as she was, she had a mind to throw the phone out the window and let it crumble to pieces on the dark, empty streets. She had done everything right. She hadn't pushed him; she hadn't pressured him; he wanted to be friends and she accommodated. She rarely even spoke to him after their discussion; she wanted to give him space. His coldness was inexplicable.

When the phone rang yet again, she answered in a harsh tone, "What!"

"Liv?"

"What?"

She could hear Fitz breathing heavily into the phone. Neither said a word for several minutes. "It wasn't you Liv it was me," he finally said.

_Oh that's an original line_, she thought.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to treat you that way. I'm sorry."

She remained silent; never doubting his sincerity but wondering whether she had overreacted – leaving without letting him explain. On some level, their conversation in the garden had left her feeling rejected by him; she was insecure and when she expected him to reaffirm what they meant to each other, she got a cold welcome and she couldn't deal with it, not then when she was already so vulnerable.

"It's fine Fitz..it's fine…don't worry about it. I'm just tired and I need to go home."

"Liv, let me come by. I want to see you; I need to know you're really okay."

"That's not a good idea. Not for us. We're being friends, remember, let's just be friends." Olivia knew that their attraction was too strong and with what they were feeling, it wouldn't take much for them to end up in each other's arms.

"Liv," Fitz pleaded.

"Please Fitz, just let me go home and I will talk to you later."

She wasn't okay; neither of them were and he cursed himself for downgrading their relationship to the friend zone. Judging by his reaction to Lincoln, he no longer thought he could handle just being friends. It seemed the best solution for them at the time, but now when he had to live with it, it almost seemed impossible.

"Liv I got jealous...Lincoln asked me if you were available and I told him no. I told him that you and I were just friends but you were still taken. He obviously didn't believe me and when you walked up he asked you to dance. It bothered me that I couldn't claim you as mine and I had to watch another man flirt with you and hold you like that. I couldn't handle it and I ended up taking it out on you. I'm sorry."

"Fitz…I'm not interested in Lincoln. He's your friend and I was being nice to him."

"I know that. It's just….I put us in the friend zone and it was the right thing to do; it was the best thing for us but now I'm not sure if I can handle it."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

When the taxi driver pulled up on her street, Olivia looked out her window and said, "Fitz where are you right now?"

"Standing outside your door."


	10. Dating Dilemma: The Thin Line Between

**Dating Dilemma: The Thin Line Between Friends and Lovers**

"You shouldn't be here." Olivia said as she continued to back away from him until what appeared to be a chasm of space was between them.

"I know."

"Why are you here? I told you not to come."

"I know." There was sadness in his voice, a sort of quiet torment, as if his heart and mind were in conflict and he didn't yet know how to decide.

"How did you get here before me?"

"I took Tommy's car and sped through several traffic signals," a brief smirk floated across his face. When she left in a cab it only took seconds for him to realize the mistake he made and before he could think about it he was racing through the streets in Tommy's Porsche Boxster.

Olivia was groping for rational thought; she was tired of being manipulated by her own emotions. She wanted to speak in clarity, allowing reason to rule. She watched him from across the room, regarding his stance and hunched shoulders; he was full of regret but it was unnecessary.

"I told you on the phone that I understand and I accept your apology. You are forgiven." The note of finality in her voice was not lost on Fitz. She was trying to dismiss him; end the evening for both of them. But he didn't move; he couldn't move. It was no longer about Lincoln, his own jealousy or his bad attitude. They were all just symptoms of a deeper affliction.

"Livvy, I made a mistake…I let my fear take over and rejected you; I shouldn't have done that. I realized tonight that I can never just be friends with you. I will always want more," he confessed as he took a tentative step in her direction. She took a step back.

"You can't do this Fitz…." she whispered; shaking her head to emphasize her declination to his words.

"Livvy…"

"No!" her voice was emphatic but it was breaking; choking under the strain of repressed emotion. "You don't get to do this to me Fitz….Do you know what it took for me to tell you everything I felt inside tonight? Do you realize how hard it was to stand there in front of you and wait for you to make a decision on whether or not you wanted me? But I did it. I laid my heart on the line for you Fitz; I gave you everything and you told me we needed to be friends. Friends!...I mean, what the fuck!" she never cursed; she shook her head to calm her nerves before continuing in a much softer voice, "I accepted what you wanted Fitz; you made the rules and I agreed to stick to them. I never argued or disagreed. It was what you wanted and I gave it to you. Now you want to change everything, and why? Because you think someone else might want me? Is this you trying to possess me? Or keep me tied to you until you feel like you want a relationship? That's not right and you know it. So no, you can't flip it back on me…we're friends, you said it, you deal with it."

"I'm sor…."

She wouldn't let him finish. "No you're not! If Lincoln hadn't expressed interest in me would we be here right now?"

"No."

"Exactly….You're playing with my heart Fitz and I can't….I think you should go …we've said enough and I'm tired. You should just go."

"I can't Liv….I'm not walking away and I'm not letting you walk away either…I'm done with that. You're right, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Lincoln flirting with you but I needed the wakeup call. I needed something to show me that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would be stupid to let you go…It would be the biggest mistake of my life to let you walk away without telling you how much I love you. From the moment I met you I felt it; when I saw you pacing in that hallway, I knew…..I'm not trying to play with your feelings Livvy, you're the one and I'm not going to change my mind….I was stupid and scared but…you are it for me. I love you, more than anyone or anything in my life…I need to be with you."

Olivia hadn't noticed that he was closing in on her until he was right in her face. His fierce blue eyes bearing into her; piercing through all the barriers of fear and uncertainty. He wasn't backing away and even if she pushed, he was ready to push back until she realized that this was what they both wanted and there could be no other way.

His hand came up slowly; she still had the power of her own agency and he would never take it away; it still had to be her choice. She didn't protest when he caressed her face and pulled her close. Her eyes were hooded as she took in the warmth of his touch and allowed it to permeate through every part of her. "Fitz….you're breaking my heart."

"Then let me fix it," were the last words he uttered as he claimed her mouth for a soft kiss; gentle, feather like; almost non-existent. But that was temporary, there was more; there would be more until they were both satisfied. He pressed her further into his body as he deepened the kiss enjoying the feel of her soft lips against his, becoming intoxicated with the taste of her; demonstrating the desire, the passion he felt for her, for so long. She would know that she was his everything; that she would never need to doubt how devoted he was to making her happy; that she would never regret giving her heart to him.

When Olivia felt his tongue surge into her mouth, she was consumed. There was an intensity, an urgency to take in all of him; to allow him to fill up every hole, every shallow part of her; to make her feel renewed. In his arms, as he pulled her closer and closer, she thought she could almost feel the depth of his love, but that would come later and she was in anticipation for it.

They pulled back in panting breaths, searching each other's eyes for the answer to the unspoken question, _Are you sure?,_ and finding the answer together _Yes._

With a demure smile, Olivia led him up the stairs to her bedroom, instantly thankful that in preparing for the evening, she hadn't given in to her normal habit of throwing clothes everywhere as she decided what to put on.

"Livvy, I love you and I'm not going anywhere. I want this and I want you. I'll be here with you in the morning, with no regrets, no doubting; just me and you."

Could he hear her thoughts? How did he know what she needed to hear from him? How did he know what assurances to give? She was worried that in the morning, in the light of day, when thinking faculties were clear and actions could be judged as right or wrong, he would regret what they had done and want to escape, effectively leaving her all alone.

She was speechless; words would get in the way of what she was feeling in this moment. She was determined to enjoy each minute, each second; to remember what it was like, how she felt, what she thought. When her dress was in a pool at her feet, she felt his eyes appraising her in her corset; the sparkling blue oceans making her feel inherently womanlike. She patiently waited as he removed his jacket, his shirt, his pants. He held her gaze, making sure there was no hesitation, no reservations. When he saw her bite her lower lip in anticipation, his breath was caught.

He wouldn't let her help him. He had to remove every piece of her clothing by himself because he needed to take his time; he needed to be able to kiss and suck whatever part of her body that became exposed to him. He needed to taste every inch of her; swearing that the sweetness of her skin was unlike anything, anywhere.

His ministrations left her breathless. She was dripping with a desire she had never felt before; that she had not known she was capable of feeling. It was a heady feeling, standing in front of him naked in her room watching as he trailed kisses down her body; stopping at all the right pressure points. Her breasts, sensitive, budding inside of his mouth; her flat stomach sucked in at the feel of his breath; her center aching for his touch. She could stand it no longer and unable to support herself, her knees buckled. With a swift move, he picked her up and cradled her in his lap while he sat on the edge of the bed. Capturing her mouth with searing kiss, he coaxed her into opening her legs for him, wider, as wide as they could go; to give him the access to part of her needing the most attention.

When he began to stroke her, Olivia thought she would fall to pieces. She was moaning in his mouth, rotating her hips to match the rhythm created by his fingers. When he slipped his finger inside, she wanted to pull her mouth away to catch a breath; she could no longer breathe; it was too much. He wouldn't let her; he held her in place enjoying her throaty moans; consuming them as they intensified. When he released her, her head fell against his shoulders, "Oh my god….Oh my god" her echoes heightening as they christened her bedroom.

Olivia was not a woman who was in tune with her sexuality. She was conservative to a fault; not able to communicate what pleasured her; not truly able to find the level of enjoyment her body desired. More times than not, she shied away from sexual experiences; never realizing the freedom or the beauty that came from true fulfillment. Until now. Something in him made her remove all the inhibitions cloaking her true nature. She wanted everything from him; the insatiable temptress was coming through and she knew that she would never get enough of him.

Fitz' was bulging through his briefs, pressing against her bottom, demanding entry into her core as she grinded over and over again, yearning for him to fill her completely. It was a first for her but she was not reticent as she became the aggressor, pushing him back on the bed, frantically helping him remove the last barrier between them and straddling him ready to sheathe him deep within her body. Their eyes never broke contact as she took him in slowly, every sensation better than the one before. And when he was fully embedded they closed their eyes, replete with pleasure; their moans intermingled; synching in melody. She moved against him, reveling in the different feelings each shift was creating; loving and learning both him and herself at the same time.

When he could take no more, he grabbed her hips and guided her to the pace that he knew they both would enjoy. He could see the fire building within her and he reached down and stroked her to a point where the gentle moans he loved to hear, rising in pitch and when she was seconds from exploding he rose up to meet her face to face; holding her body closer going deeper and deeper until complete satisfaction was found.

XXXXXX

"Livvy….Livvy…baby I need you to wake up," Fitz said as he gently tried to coax her from her slumber. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful and serene in her sleep that he hated having to wake her but he didn't want her to get up, find him gone and panic.

"mmm", she moaned but turned her face away from him, refusing to rise.

He smiled and began to slowly pull down the sheet covering her, exposing her back and tracing wet kisses down the exposed skin. She moaned again but refused to open her eyes until the sheet almost made it past her ass and she felt his hands caressing what was, to him, one of the most flattering parts of her body. Her eyes flew open; she turned her head to face him and grabbed the sheet to cover back up, a sudden shyness overtaking her. Her hoarse, groggy voice fluttered out questions, "Fitz, you're up already? What time is it? Your dressed….are you leaving?"

He hated the fear in her voice; with a reassuring smile he said, "It's 10:30; I've been up for over an hour; I am dressed, Tommy always has a spare change of clothes in his car and yes I have to go…I need to get his car back to him. He's leaving town this morning."

An adorable, pouty look came on her face and he couldn't resist kissing her nose. "I'm coming back Livvy. I just need to take the car to him and stop by my place to pick up a few things. There's coffee downstairs for you; I was going to make breakfast but you're completely out of everything." He chuckled and she smiled.

"Yeah I have to go to store," she admitted sheepishly as she sat up in the bed, holding on to the sheet to keep herself covered, which Fitz thought was funny considering everything they did last night.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours and we'll do whatever you want for the rest of the weekend….I love you Livvy."

"I love you too."

XXXXXX

Josie barked at the sound of the doorbell and Olivia smiled brightly, knowing Fitz was on the other side. He had only been gone a couple of hours and she already missed him. She picked Josie up and flung the door open, "Hey you…" Her smile faded into a frown when she saw who was at her door.

"Dad, Aunt Clari, Lexi, what are you doing here?" she hadn't mean for it to come out so rudely but it did.

"Were you expecting someone else?" her father asked.

"Umm….no…well yes, I guess. I just didn't know you would be coming down. Why didn't you call?"

"Since when do I have to call to come visit my daughter?" he challenged.

"Can we come in now or are we supposed to continue this conversation on your porch?" Clarissa asked in mock irritation.

"Oh sorry…yes of course come in." Olivia stepped back and let them in. She looked up and down her street to make sure she didn't see Fitz's car. She silently wished that his family held him up or something happened that would prevent him from coming back until much, much later – after her family was long gone.

After they were all settled inside, Olivia asked Alexis to help her get drinks for everyone in the kitchen. "What are you doing here, with them?!"

"Calm down….they were worried…like I was worried and if you would've answered your phone and told me what's going on we wouldn't be here right now."

"I'm sorry…I wasn't trying to ignore you….I was….busy."

"Busy…busy doing what and who were you expecting at the door? What's going on?"

"Can you please stop with the 20 questions? I'm fine, everything's fine."

"Wow, you are so touchy…So you want to go out to eat or you want to cook."

"I….I can't leave right now…but why don't you take them out to eat and I will call you later." It wasn't that she couldn't leave; it was more that she didn't want to leave. She wanted to spend the day with Fitz, not with her family. It as a selfish thought, she knew, but it was truly how she felt.

"Now I'm really not leaving until I find out what is going on with you. You're practically trying to throw your family out of your house when we just got here."

Clarissa appeared in the kitchen and said, "Liv, your father can't work your remote control and there's a game on that he's dying to see, you need to help him."

"Yeah, sure, I'm coming," Olivia said as she took out a beer to bring to her father.

On her way out of the kitchen her aunt stopped her and said, "So who is he?"

"What?" Olivia said as her eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Who's the guy you slept with last night?" Clarissa surmised perceptively.

"What are you talking about?" Olivia tried to deflect the question but the blush coming on her face was telling.

"Oh ho…." Alexis said as she started laughing. "Is it Fitz?...Of course it's Fitz. Is that who you were expecting? Oh my god, Liv why didn't you say anything?"

"Lexi take this beer to your father and help him with the television," Clarissa instructed and Alexis sulked at being left out of the conversation. She did as she was told. As she left, the look she gave Olivia told her that she expected details later.

"Are you OK Liv?...Do you want us to leave?...We can leave if you want?" Clarissa offered.

Her concern was touching and Olivia felt bad for how she was treating her own family. "No I don't want you to leave…I'm OK…There is a guy, his name is Fitz and I want you to meet him…Someday…I just don't know if today is the day for it…Our relationship is still so new…I just don't know if he's ready to be grilled by Dad…I'm sorry if I was rude to you."

Clarissa was about to respond when the doorbell went off again. She smiled and said, "I guess you're about to see if he's ready; don't worry Liv, he may surprise you."

"How did you know?"

"I'm a woman…I know these things…plus you have that glow that only comes when you've had good sex."

XXXXXX

"Why are you so nervous?" Fitz asked her as she busied herself letting Josie out of the house. He had been watching the football game with her father and when it went to commercial he found the moment to corner her. He thought everything was going well. He liked her father and her aunt and they seemed to like him as well. Alexis and Clarissa had disappeared upstairs to watch some fashion show on another TV, while Olivia hung around downstairs; she needed to make sure everything went well between her father and Fitz.

"I'm sorry….I know you didn't expect to meet them today…It was just supposed to be us two and they came unannounced. I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable. I didn't want my father to start grilling you….."

"Oh he's grilling me," Fitz said laughing, "But he's being subtle about it; he asks questions during plays. He even asked me a question right after my team kicked the field goal. He knows I'm distracted, but it's OK, I'm fine with it…I would've expected it."

"What kind of questions?"

"The usual…what are my intentions with you….where do I see this relationship going….that kind of thing."

"And what did you say?"

"What do you think I said?"

"I don't know….we haven't had a chance to talk about anything."

A frown came on his face and Olivia tilted her head in confusion. Why did he look upset?

"What?...What's wrong?" she asked.

"Livvy….we had sex last night; we will definitely be having sex many more times this weekend…I told you I love you, I'm in love with you…I'm committed to you, only you….I have every intention of staying with you…Do you get it? Do you hear what I'm saying to you?" frustration was evident in his voice but he couldn't hide it. He couldn't understand why she doubted his intentions.

"I hear you…I do….I just don't want to mess this up with you…I don't want to push you too far too fast."

He smiled as his hands caressed her face, "Livvy, stop worrying; just let it happen. You need to relax, stop overthinking everything; just enjoy it."

She smiled back and said, "I could relax if you kiss me right now."

They hadn't kissed each other in hours and the thirst was still alive and potent. It didn't take long for them to forget where they were and who was around. Fitz had been watching Olivia in her strapless maxi dress all afternoon, just waiting for the opportunity to pull it off her. He eased it down further and further until her breasts were exposed to him and he groaned in delight as his hands caressed and fondled until her nipples were taut bulbs in his hands.

Olivia was lost in the feel of his hands on her body; she moaned into his mouth, inviting him to take more of her; consumed she was in the heady feeling of desire.

"Fitz," her father's voice yelled out from the other room, "The game is back on…get your hands off my daughter and come back in here."

It was like being doused with cold water. They broke apart immediately and Olivia fixed her dress. They chuckled as they looked down at the evidence of Fitz's arousal. Fitz gave her one last kiss as he turned and walked away to join her father; hoping the bulge in his pants wasn't that noticeable.

XXXXXX

Monday morning came too soon for both of them. All day Saturday was spent with her family and Sunday they spent alone; never leaving her house and for Olivia it was perfect. They could either talk, watch a movie or be working on their laptops; she always felt the same connection to him. She tried to follow his advice; to relax and just enjoy the moment but she couldn't help worrying how they would be at work together. Would they be a private couple? Or would they go public and let everyone know? If they let everyone know would that affect the company's view of their working relationship?

She was still blushing from shower sex as she watched him through the mirror adjusting his tie. She looked at him and all she could see was how handsome he was; how caring he was and how much he loved her but her father made sure that she was not too drunk off his love to be oblivious to the facts of life.

"_Interracial relationships are hard Liv," her father said as she walked him out to the car when it was time for her family to leave, "I support you 100%; Fitz is a good guy and I like him but the world is cruel. No matter how much time has passed people cannot seem to let go of their bigoted, racist ideas. So just be prepared. If you start to feel slighted, insecure or hurt in anyway because of what someone said or did, make sure you communicate that to Fitz. The only way your relationship will survive is if you work together as a team. Make each other feel safe, wanted and loved despite what other ridiculous things people may say or do."_

"You're worried about today…being at work together," Fitz asked her as he finished his tie.

She put on her heels and walked over to stand in front of him. "I am."

He put his hands on her waist and said, "Livvy we have always had a great working relationship; there is no reason to think that it won't continue to be that way. As far as our personal relationship goes, we don't have to go shout it to the entire company but we don't hide from it either. We don't avoid each other; we just do what feels right for us. This is our relationship and no one, not even the magazine, dictates how we are to be together. It's you and me and if we feel that we need to adjust something along the way, then we talk about it and we decide….OK?"

When Olivia felt Fitz's hand at her back, guiding her off the elevator onto their floor at the magazine, she instantly felt calm. She told herself that this was just like any other day at work, the only exception being that she was in love with the man standing next to her. Other than that, everything was normal.

Cyrus called an emergency staff meeting for the entire floor first thing in the morning and everyone filed into the conference room. Both Olivia and Fitz stopped short when they saw Mellie sitting at the table next to Cyrus. Mellie kept her eyes on them as they took seats at the far end of the opposite side of the room. Everything was not normal. "What's she doing here?" Olivia whispered to Fitz. He shrugged and responded "I have no idea…but whatever it is, it's not good."

When everyone was seated, Cyrus stood up and said, "Good morning. We've called this meeting to introduce a new member of the team. Some of you may remember Mellie working here years ago; she left us momentarily to work for a local TV network but thankfully we were able to get her back. She will be working directly under Sally, overseeing various projects for the magazine. She will be visiting with various departments today and talking one-on-one with some of you. I'll let her have the floor as she has some announcements for you but before I do, let's all give her a warm welcome." Everyone in the room applauded.

With a radiant smile on her face, Mellie stood up and greeted everyone. "There are some new faces that I look forward to getting to know and there are some of you that I already now," she said pointedly looking at Fitz. "I'm glad to be here; glad to be on the team. The magazine is doing phenomenally, which is a credit to all of you, but of course we are always looking for ways to improve; to get better; to beat out our competition. So I'm open to feedback, suggestions and comments you have and I will certainly be giving you some of my own. By way of announcements, I have some great news, Sally has approved the company Halloween Costume Party; the theme is Old Hollywood Glamour. I know its short notice but I hope you all can attend next week and bring your significant others," the group began to applaud in excitement at the news.

"And as a more serious announcement, today each of you will be receiving an email from HR. It has become company policy for all office romances or personal relationships to be documented. That means that if you are in a personal relationship with anyone in the company, you will be required to complete a form acknowledging the relationship and confirming that no conflict of interest exists. The company wants to make sure that we promote a safe, hostile-free work environment, with no improprieties….So that's all I have for now…Once again thank you for welcoming me. Before you leave there are breakfast pastries at the back of the room, feel free to help yourself."

"I think we just got railroaded by the Mellie-train," Fitz whispered to Olivia as they watched everyone leave the conference room. She nodded in agreement; a flood of questions floating in her head; the least of which was why Mellie was here and what her true motive was? They tried to leave the room unobserved but Mellie's voice rang out.

"Fitz can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked from across the room.

Fitz groaned and seeing no way to escape, nodded yes. He told Olivia he would talk to her later; smiling confidently in response to the concerned look in her eyes.

Instead of talking in the conference room, Mellie suggested that they talk in her office on the other side of the floor. Fitz walked behind her, thankful that at least her office was far away from his and Olivia's.

"Have a seat," she offered when they entered her office and she closed the door behind them.

"No thank you…I prefer to stand."

"Fitz relax…I only asked to talk to you to make sure you would be okay with me working here. I was hoping that as friends we would be able to work well with each other."

"We aren't friends Mellie." He still believed she had something to do with Amanda Tanner setting him up and he didn't trust her.

"I thought we were. I mean you threw me over for Olivia but I don't have any bad feelings toward either of you. The way I see it, I'm the injured party; if anyone has a right to be angry it would be me."

"Why are you here? Why are you working here?"

She frowned at the change in the conversation but quickly recovered. She plastered on her smile again and said, "The TV station was never going to let me go any higher than where I was; I was a glorified gopher; a complete waste of my talent. So when I got the call from Sally for this job; I had to jump at it. It's a great opportunity and I've always loved this magazine."

Fitz didn't believe a word she said. Mellie was a master manipulator; she always told just the right amount of truth to make her lies seem plausible. Fitz shrugged nonchalantly; he didn't want to give her the satisfaction that he cared. "Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well that and to tell you that my first project is to take a look at you and Olivia's dating column, just to see if there are areas where we can improve, make adjustments, that sort of thing. So I will be working closely with you both for a while….I hope you can handle that."

He stared at her as if she had grown another head. "I really don't see that I have a choice," Fitz finally said as he turned to leave.

**(A/N: Hi everyone. I don't know about you but I'm constantly entertained by the amazing, crazy and freaky stories on fan fic. I love it! Thank you all for putting out such great stories to satisfy our Scandal cravings. And thanks to those of you who continue to support this story. Another story popped in my head but I promised myself I wouldn't put it out until I updated my existing stories, so for those of you who asked "I Only See You" is up next. Once again thank you all for your continued support; I love this fandom!)**


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